Redemption
by xXrebelgirl07Xx
Summary: Alan suffers from amnesia, the first twelve years of his life completely sealed, but that doesn't stop him for getting in trouble every time. Still somewhere along the way he managed to find an irreplaceable friendship with Fermat Hackenbacker. However life-threatning situations occure and he is forced to face his forgotten past and save his friend. But to what cause?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

He opened his blue eyes and stared at the concrete floor that glowed in the moonlight from the only window in the room. It was already night and he was supposed to be asleep, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to sleep, knowing that the moment he closed his eyes the recurring nightmares would appear again. And even though it wasn't much of difference to him if he was awake or not since his reality was truly a living nightmare. It was not even the kind of nightmare that you snap out of it and wake up when you wanted to and everything was magically all right again. No, but that was just one of the many joys of his life.

Just thinking about the nightmare brought shivers up his spine, so instead he tried to focus on something else and looked down at his hands. His hands were covered in bandages that went up to his wrists. He thought back on how he had received those injuries on his hands earlier in afternoon during his training. What he was training was a mystery itself, however the training was tough and put a lot of pressure on him. And it certainly didn't help that they were ruthless and didn't allow any mistakes from his side.

It had been painful, but the difference between this pain and any other kind of pain was that it was almost unbearable to endure physically, mentally and emotionally, especially when they are holding you down with knives piercing through hands. The reason behind their actions was to punish him. Disobedience and stubbornness was dangerous traits to possess in the world he was living in and unfortunately he was blessed with both, so it wasn't to hard to believe that they would stab and let him have knife blade sticking out of his hands like it was nothing wrong.

Just the thought of it made him want to puke all over again, like he had done once they had released him and taken him to the infirmary to check out the damage. It had only been pure luck that his hands still worked and it would only leave two huge stabbing scars on his hands. Not that the man who actually scared him, cared about his wellbeing or anything, but the people who was in charge of keeping him here in this unknown facility didn't want broken goods. That's what he was in his world. He was only property to someone else, meaning he was only alive as long as he was useful to his superiors and they would probably throw him away as soon he was of no use to them anymore.

He exhaled and shook his head, the dark thoughts that was piercing through his mind was not getting him anywhere in this hellhole, so why bother to keep thinking about it? He wasn't sure, but he was else could he do in this place. Most of his days consisted in training, school and more training. They wouldn't let him do anything else unless they deemed it as part of his training or education, which was very little and was in no way entertaining in his opinion.

As he thought this the door to his cell opened and one of the many guards that protecting this place entered the room. He knew from experience not to say a word to the guards, unless he wanted to be hit with the guard's gun. And to be honest it hurt a lot and gave him a big headache later. The guard grabbed his right arm and pulled him up from the ground.

"Move it, brat," the guard hissed. The man's grip tightened and he flinched from the pain, but he still kept quiet. "The boss wants to see you."

The guard didn't wait for him to respond instead just dragged him out of the cell and lead down an empty hallway. The lights were dim and he couldn't see very clearly where exactly he was going, but the guard didn't seem hesitate in his movement as they continued walk down the hall without meeting anyone else. They walked down what seemed to be a never-ending corridor until the guard stopped in front of a door that was resided on the left side of the hall. And without warning he was pushed inside and heard the door lock shut behind him.

* * *

He fell hard on the floor and tried to lessen the fall by using his hands, but the minute he did that he felt the pain from earlier pierce through him like a blade. The pain came instant and was almost unbearable to endure; however he knew that the boss and everyone were watching him. And there was no chance that he was going to let them to kick him when he was down and view him as weak. He was a lot of things, but he was certainly not weak. So he forced himself up and placed neutral facial expression. They were sitting in the shadows, observing him like he was a caged animal, but he was determined not to fall for their games. So he stood there perfectly still and waited. Not sound or movement was made and he wasn't sure how long he stood there, but silence was broken when someone laughed and began clapping his hands.

"Bravo," the man said and continued clapping like he had done some kind of impressive trick. The man moved closer to the light so he got a better view of him, but he had already gotten a clue of his nature from the small actions he had delivered. Initially the man appeared easy-going with a flippant sense of humor, however it was all just façade. This man was the type of person who was cunning and the most dangerous type to be associated with, despite being dressed in a dark sophisticated suit and his ash blond hair being neatly brushed to look respectably. However there was nothing respectable about him with the taunting look he got from those ash-mauve eyes, telling him that he had plans that could no way be considered humane. The worst part was that he was pretty sure he was going to be part of those plans. "He is certainly a diamond in the rogue, isn't he?"

The other men murmured between themselves, obviously agreeing with the man's notion. He couldn't care less about their opinion of him, but he would appreciated that they got over the whole excitement and let him leave since he felt more or less unconformable standing there like a fool.

"You have a great potential in this business and I look forward to see that happen," the man began explaining. The man moved closer towards him like a cat approaching a mouse, the grin on the man's face grew and he could feel all his hairs stick up. He was very hesitant this man and wanted more than any thing to run as far away from that he could, since the man reminded him of a cat that was hunting its target and was just ready to swallow him whole without a second moment, but he remained perfectly still and kept his full attention on the man as he continued explaining. "However the problem is that you are too disobedient and head-strong for your own good, which is why we need to knock some sense into you in order for you to understand that there are great consequences with every action you do."

As the cat man stopped a few feet away from him, a new pair of footsteps was coming his way. The problem was the person behind those footsteps, who scuffs when he walks and whistles one of the few songs he knew about with pride and taunt whenever he got the permission to do whatever he pleases. Fear came as a punch to his stomach and it was pure instinct that he began taking hesitant steps away, but the cat man wasn't allowing him to do so by holding firmly around his arm and kept him from going anywhere. This person was one of his real life nightmares and he was truly the most horrible and terrifying person you could ever meet.

"Vinnie, glad you could join us," the cat man said enthusiastically, though he was pretty sure there was nothing to be enthusiastic about, especially if Vinnie was involved.

"Always happy to help, boss," Vinnie said. Vinnie stopped next to him and was twirling a small knife between his fingers. "What exactly am I allowed to do?"

"Well, I believe that what happened this afternoon was way too the extreme. The point is not to damage him to the point where I have no use to him. He will be my golden goose once he polished him enough, so I would say scare and whip him for now at least. But if he continues to resist then you get more options to pick from," the cat man said. The cat man gave Vinnie a warning look before he and his group left, leaving him alone with Vinnie the monster. Vinnie placed the knife he had been playing with back into the holster that hung on his leather belt, but he removed the holster and placed it on the floor before he pulled the belt out from the belt. Vinnie tighten the belt in his hands and slapped it against the floor, and then he turned his attention on him.

"Are you ready?" Vinnie said viciously. "…Alan"

Hearing his name was strange and unnatural for him to hear due to his circumstances, especially when most people normally called him just brat or simply the ghost, but that was a sign that told him that he couldn't fight against him. Vinnie would be harming him in a painful way, but he wasn't going to fight him since that only meant Vinnie was getting exactly what he wanted. To be able to punish him by just whipping and scaring the life out of him was better than what Vinnie wanted, and he for one was not going to let Vinnie get what he wanted. Not as long as he lived. So instead he closed his eyes and waited for the nightmares to start again.

**.**

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**New story, I hope you guys is going to like it because I have a really good feeling about this story. However I can't promise how soon the next chapter will come, but I will say that I will try updating as soon as I can. **

**So in case you didn't know I have just recently finished my first long-written story, which was a TB story called _I'm Still Here,_ check it out if you haven't. While this story is going to share some similar genres like my other story, but this story is going to mainly focus on the friendship between Alan and Fermat. However I do must warn you this story is strictly an AU story, but I will explain the circumstances later on as the story goes since this is only the prologue. **

**I also have to mention this that I don't own _Thunderbirds or any of the characters (other than the ones I create), _it belongs to Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. The story is however mine. Anyways please review, favorite and follow, because it is really appreciated and I hope to update soon. **

**Sincerely yours,**

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	2. Bad Day

**1.****Bad Day**

_Four years later_

Officer Jem Cassidy was already having a bad day and the day had not even started yet. So to keep things simple his mood was more or less sour, especially since he had not yet gotten his morning coffee and he definitely needed his morning coffee when he had to work the morning shift. The day started with that he overslept, didn't have time to make himself breakfast and just barely made it down on time to the station before the debriefing about what his job was today.

When he finally arrived at the station he was completely out of breath from running from his place, since he didn't have a car and it was just a waste of money to take the cab, so as a result of his decision his uniform was all curled up like he had gone to sleep with his uniform on. Things didn't get any better when he realized because of the time that there was no way he could grab a cup of coffee before the meeting, so he had to sit there during the entire meeting with a sour mood, listening to his staff sergeant going on and on about the drug circles that was still roaming around the streets and endless complains how they never seem to show up on time whenever someone called it in. His mood didn't lift until he was told that he was going on patrol along with his partner Officer Jenkins, which brought a grin on his face. Jem loved going on patrol, being part of the action, to serve and protect the civilians in Boston. It definitely beats sitting on a desk all day and doing boring paperwork. However that didn't mean that he didn't take this job lightly despite what other people might assume about him, since they always thought that he being too lose with the rules little rogue and the fact that he was just twenty-seven years old and could easily be mistaken for rookie even after working at the station for the last four years. But he really didn't care what they thought and as long as he could do his job no one openly questioned what he did.

"Alright now, go out there and protect our city from criminals," Staff Sergeant Williams said determined before he left the room and then the meeting was adjourned. And it didn't take long till everyone except Jem left in the room. He knew that he got some time before he had to meet up with his partner and the line to the coffee pot was going to be long and seemed almost never-ending because everyone was needed caffeine since what they do for a living was hard work and they all needed to stay sharp for the long day to begin. So he sat there on his chair for a moment and relaxed his mind by thinking of Saturday's baseball game when he heard some calling for him.

"Hey, Cassidy," Officer Steinberg shouted. He stood by the door entrance and waited impatiently. "You got a visitor. Make the social calls quick since you're on the clock."

"I'll be right there," Jem replied. He stood up from his chair, left the room and walked up to the front desk to see a young woman standing there, dressed in hospital scrubs, looking very agitated over something. Unfortunately he had a good idea what exactly she was fussing about.

"Haley, what are you doing here?" Jem asked with a slight annoyed yet worried tone. He hugged the woman lightly and then took a step back to see her face and to find out what was going on. "You're supposed to be home and asleep since you took the nightshift. Why are you here?"

Haley Cassidy was his younger sister by two years and worked as a nurse at St. Patrick Hospital. She was a very charming and beautiful woman with long curly brown hair that was currently tied into a messy bun, chocolate brown eyes, tanned skin and was at least a foot shorter than him. It was common that people would point out how much they looked alike due to the similar hair and facial features with the exception of height and the fact that his eyes were brown-green instead of brown, and most of the time it was true. Still no matter how much they looked alike they were as different as night and day when it came to personality.

They lived together in the same apartment for the last three years, even though he wasn't sure how they managed to live together for so long without killing each other, it worked most of the time despite the fact that they rarely managed to see each other anywhere else than back home. So he was surprised to see her at his workplace.

"He is gone," Haley said. Jem took her to the nearest chair for her to sit down and waited to hear the rest of the story. "When I got home there was a message on the answering machine from his school, asking about his whereabouts since he didn't show up for homeroom. So I went in to his room and found it empty. I looked everywhere I could of think and I tried calling him, but I got no answer."

"Okay-okay, Haley," Jem tried to calm her down when she started to panic and mentally cursed to the person of interest in the conversation. "Look, you know that he is sixteen and old enough to make his own decisions. Obviously he skipped school again and went out to hanging out with his friends or something like that."

"Jem, you and I both know that Alan doesn't have any friends, at least someone he would consider as his friends," Haley argued and shook her head. "I'm worried about him. Things haven't been easy for him and things aren't getting any better right now. He gets in trouble, skips out of school and disappears out of the blue."

Jem sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair. He knew far to well how things was going with Alan, remembering the many situations where he had been on called up to fix the mess that the teenager who he considered as his own brother, had managed to get himself caught up in, but he couldn't do much about Alan right now since he was at work. Once he got home from shift he and Haley were going to have a serious talk with Alan about everything, hoping to solve this situation. And if that didn't work there was one other option they could do in order to solve this problem, but that option is the last solution in hope for things to get better with Alan and finally makes a better life for himself instead of tearing apart every chance he had gotten till now.

So without anything to add he said wearily, "Sis, there isn't much neither of us can do right now about this situation. I have to work and you have to go back and get some rest since you just got off shift. Alan will back at the apartment when he feels like it and there is a chance he is already back right now, so don't' worry. I'll will keep an eye open on him while I'm at work and we will talk about this when I get home, okay?"

Haley didn't say anything, but they both knew that he was right, so she nodded slowly. Jem gave her a reassuring smile before he told her that he had to go. Then they both said their quick goodbyes and left their separate ways. It wasn't until he looked at his watch to see that break time was over and his shift had already started. The worst part was that he still didn't get the chance to go and get coffee, so he wasn't happy when he met up with Officer Jenkins and they drove out of the police parking lot.

* * *

Jem got shotgun while Officer Jenkins drove the car around the city, canvassing the usual areas where criminals distribute drugs and among other things. Officer Jenkins or whom he would normally call Oliver, sat there facing the road in silence until he finally cracked and asked, "So what's going on with Haley? She doesn't normally show up at the station unless it's something important."

Jem didn't answer and continued to stare out the window, but he knew that Oliver wasn't going to let the subject go.

"Alan skipped school again," Jem answered simply, both knowing that this wasn't the first time Alan had disappeared without anyone telling anyone about his whereabouts, since most of the cops that Jem worked closely with knew about Alan and was well acquainted with him for several reasons. "Haley came to notify me and hoped that I could do something about it, but there isn't much I could do other than keep an eye on open while we're on patrol. Hopefully Alan's back at the apartment before he manage to get himself in trouble. Again."

Jem had not wanted to let Haley know that he too was freaking out about Alan's disappearance, even though he had done the exact opposite with her by trying to reassure her that everything was fine and this was normal teenage behavior. He was trying very hard to fool her and possibly fooling himself as well, but he knew more than anyone that Alan is anything but an ordinary teenager.

"Have a little faith, Jem. Alan is a young teenage boy and at this age they try to rebel and find their own place in the world, but in the end we both know that he is a great kid who just makes some mistakes, just like any other human," Oliver said. Before Jem had a chance to argue the police radio was turned on and dispatch called in an on going trespassing on private property not far from where they were currently located. Jem was glad that something came up that stopped the whole conversation and finally giving him something to distract him from the problem that was currently taking over his mind. However just as Jem had decided to focus on something else, Oliver asked out loud, "Besides how much trouble can that kid actually get into?"

* * *

The sixteen-year old Alan Shepard turned the wrench one last time to right to tighten the screw before he rolled out from underneath the car he was working on. Then he got up to take a closer look at his work and was more or less pleased about what he saw. The owner of the car was going to pick up the car later today and was definitely going to be happy about the restoration and the new upgrade he has done both with the bodywork and the engine of the car. It was one of his finer works, though he is not the most artistic person, the small and boring grey Mercedes-Bentz was transformed into flaming red car with a large engine despite its size. The owner could easily be used to win street races or robbing banks, but the car was not going to be used for neither. Which was a good thing since there was no way he would fix cars that could be used for illegal actions. The car was a birthday present for recent-retired cop, who had his collection of fast cars and now had time to increase his collection due to his empty spare time.

"Are you done with the Mercedes yet?" Mr. Malone said. Mr. Malone was the owner of the body shop and his boss, but he was also a good friend who helped him out to earn some money even though he was aware that he was supposed to be at school and not working at a body shop during school hours. However as long as Mr. Malone could claim deniability about any knowledge or actions he has done, the man wouldn't voice his opinion about it.

"Yeah, just finished it," Alan answered with a cocky grin. "I believe the customer is going to be satisfied by the result."

Mr. Malone was clutching his chin with his left fingers and nodded in agreement. Alan pulled out a red handkerchief from his back pocket of his worn-out jeans. He began cleaning his dirty hands that was filled oils stains and look a short glance at the scars on his hands before quickly covering his hands with the cloth. He had no idea how in the world he managed to get those identical scars on his hands that went from one side of his palm and out on the other side, but whenever he saw the scars he would quickly cover up his hands up and while trying not to vomit from the sight.

There was not any more cars for him to work on, so he spent time talking with Mr. Malone and just talked about random topics that didn't reveal much personal opinions from neither one of them, which was normal on Alan's side. Mr. Malone might be his friend, but he was his work friend nothing more. Alan never had close friends who really knew him and the secrets that he hides on the inside. The only people who Alan truly trusted and saw as his friends and family were the Cassidy siblings, who were also his foster parents/siblings. Jem and Haley had taken him in four years ago, after he woke up in hospital and had absolutely no memories about his life when he was twelve years old. He didn't know anything about his family, his friends or people that had played a part in his life. Hell, he didn't even know his real name. Alan Shepard was the name Jem had first called him when he woke up, so the name just stuck and he didn't bother to correct it if there was going to be a time when he decided to find out about his past. Which as of now was not a priority in his life since the only people who knew about his past or lack of one, was Jem and Haley who was like older siblings to him. Who could ask for a better family than them?

But as Alan thought this during the light conversation with Mr. Malone, a car pulled up in front of the shop and out stepped out two dark men. And it didn't take much to know that those men meant trouble, but Mr. Malone, Alan nor the other guys in the shop said or did anything to cause suspicion to the men. Mr. Malone stepped in and this usual pleasantries like they were honest customers while Alan hung out in the back and observed the interaction between the two men and Mr. Malone. Things were quiet at first, but the interaction quickly heated up between them and the two men began loudly demanding something about hides and not getting caught by the police. Mr. Malone tried to calm them down and still refusing their demands. Unfortunately they were very understanding to the whole 'no' word, so one of the men pulled a gun out from the inner pocket of his jacket and aimed it at Mr. Malone's forehead.

"I believe you don't have any other choice," the man without the gun said calmly. Alan thought he was slick in the way he didn't threaten or did any of the muscle work unlike his partner. "Now you will get me two of our best mechanics to make several hides in the car and make it impossible for the cops to find them. And if you don't my partner will shot you in the head and kill all of your employees. So I suggest you take me serious on this."

Mr. Malone nodded while his body shook like a terrified bunny. Then Mr. Malone asked for Alan and another mechanic named Harris to go and look at the car. Mr. Slick kept an eye on Mr. Malone and the rest of the crew, while the man with the gun was in charge of him and Harris. The gunman shifted the direction of the gun and aimed it at Harris. Obviously the gunman thought it was a good idea to keep a close watch on one guy and not so much the other. So when Harris opened up the car hood, Alan opened the side door and opened the glove compartment. The glove compartment was the perfect place to make a hide, but it was also the most obvious place for the cops to look. Which was why it was perfect to try and contact the police. His hands were out of sight and gave him the perfect opportunity to carefully slide his hand down his jean pocket and pulled out his cellphone. He couldn't take the risk to call and talk to the police, so called Jem's cellphone number and put the phone back in his pocket and quickly got out of the car to get his tools. Alan only hoped that Jem would for once answer the phone without starting the phone call by yelling and reprimanding him for something he has done wrong or less he was going give away his plan put him in more danger than he was already in.

* * *

The song Trouble from P!ink began playing when Jem and Oliver got back into the squad car after checking out the trespassing site, which had come up empty. Jem was surprised to hear his personal cellphone ring, especially since the person number that was attached to that specific ringtone was Alan and Alan would never call unless he was as the song said in trouble. Jem answered the call and was just about to give Alan the reprimand of the lifetime when he heard suspicious voices in the background. He heard someone unknown ordering who he would assume was Alan and another person to hurry up and make the hides. Oliver was about to say something, but Jem asked him quietly to stay quiet. He held closer to him, so that Oliver could listen in on the on-going conversation. It didn't take long before Jem and Oliver knew exactly what the hides meant to be used for. The bad guys were going to use the hides to smuggle drugs into the country and distribute it on the streets. The thing that bothered Jem the most was how in the world Alan managed to get himself involved in this. He was like walking trouble magnet, attracting himself to the closest source of trouble, but this time was illegal trouble that could get him sent to juvie or worst get tried in court as an adult and get sent to prison for real.

"You asked how much trouble he could get into," Jem said, referring to their conversation from earlier. "Let's just say he is in a lot of trouble unless we don't get to him right now."

"Understood," Oliver replied and started the engine, while Jem called dispatch on the radio, asking to track the location of the phone call signal and send back up. Jem kept the phone call going in order to track it better. When dispatch told them it was body shop on the outskirts of the city and back-up was on its way, Oliver stepped on the accelerator and drove towards the given address. Jem clutched his cellphone tightly and held it against his ear, trying to listen if anyone was hurt. Most of all he chanted over and over in his mind that Alan would act accordingly and not try any heroics on these guys. Because if he knew Alan right then there was a big possibility that he was going to do something stupid in order to save an other person from harm.

* * *

The tension was heavy inside the body shop with Mr. Malone and the rest of the employees hanging in the back, watching the two thugs aiming the gun at Alan and Harris as they worked on the car in silence. Alan didn't get a moment alone to check if the call was still going or if Jem had ignored the call, since now the slick guy was paying close attention to him like he knew that he had done something. Which was why Alan didn't want to take any chances when he worked on the glove compartment. His eyes followed every person in the room fixed the mechanism that made it possible to activate the hide behind a hidden wall inside the compartment. The gun guy held his weapon in his hands, but didn't have it aimed at him or Harris while the slick guy was positioned to watch him from behind, apparently to make sure he did in fact do what he was told. It was good that they hadn't done anything to harm anyone yet, but if the cops didn't hurry up and get here these guys were going to walk and they were going to smuggle drugs efficiently into the country and without getting caught. As he thought angrily about this, he turned the wire was that connected to the mechanism on before he began to write down the sequence activated the hide.

Then everything happened so fast and furiously that Alan could barely comprehend it himself. First, loud police sirens shrieked in the distance, so the thugs didn't think much of it at first, but the sound of sirens was getting closer and closer to the location of the body shop causing the thugs to become panicked over the change in the situation. Then wheels screeching the pavement as the sirens pulled right in front of the shop and someone shouted out police from the outside. Alan almost want to scream in euphoria over that soon everything was going to be over, but he forced himself to stay calm and quiet. The police shouted from outside that the bad guys needed to surrender or else things were going to end badly for both parties. The reaction from the bad guys was expected when the slick guy exclaimed in fury, "Who ratted to the cops?"

No one answered, which only triggered the anger even further when the gunman loaded his gun and began aiming it at the Mr. Malone and the rest of the crew. They all squirmed back, but still didn't say anything. It was then the gunman fired and the bullet hit the wall behind them.

"That was a warning shot!" the slick guy shouted to them all. "Next one is for the kill unless the one who called the cops steps forward. If we don't get out of here without the police interfering then neither are you. So answer me right now!"

Alan had to think fast. If no one stepped forward they all were going to be in worst danger than they already were, but if he did step up then he could put himself in danger as well as the rest of them. However no one needed to get hurt on his account, especially for doing the right thing, so without much holding him back Alan stepped forward like an idiot and said cockily, "I did."

Alan held his gaze intently on the two bad guys, but didn't fear his life by giving himself. Instead he forgot all about his inner emotions that was piercing through him and donned the façade of a cocky brat that had a lose mouth, he hoped that he could buy the cops some time in order for them to come in here and arrest these guys without putting everyone in harm's way.

"So what are you going to do about this information?" Alan said with a cocky grin. He tilted his head to the left in a questioning manner, but at the same time challenged them to do something, which gave the cops a cause to enter the shop.

The bad guys reaction over his comment was expected as the slick guy sneered while the gunman had his gun directly aimed at him, more specifically at his head. The others including Mr. Malone and Harris gasped over his action and honestly grew more worried over how things were going turn out.

"You stupid brat!" the slick guy exclaimed in fury. "Didn't you think about the danger on the lives of your co-workers and yourself when you began gambling with their safety by calling the cops?"

Alan just shrugged his shoulders with an 'I-couldn't-care-less' manner. Of course he thought about it when took the risk and he was more than willing to do so, but he wasn't going to tell the bad guys.

"You didn't answer my question," Alan said, redirecting the conversation that would work for his and the police's advantage. "What are you going to do with this information? After all there is only one of you armed and there is no way you two can get out of here without getting caught by the police."

Alan had intentionally asked that question loudly, hoping that the police heard it since he remembered Jem mentioning that the police would be more reluctant to enter if there was someone armed inside. The police needed to know exactly how big the threat was and now he was practically giving them the key to open the door and help them.

Fortunate for him that the cops caught the hidden message when the doors suddenly opened and several police officers entered and took charge. They apprehended the thugs and they were taken to the ground and their arms cuffed behind their backs. Then the hugs were escorted one of the squad cars while some of the officers went to take statements and make sure everyone was all right and no one needed to go to the hospital. Alan had taken a step back and hung in the back, observing the chaos and letting out the breath he had not been aware he had been holding. Things were going to be all right he thought to himself as he fidgeted with his fingers in order to calm himself down. He had been so lost in thought that he didn't notice someone standing in front of him, only a few feet away and coughed to get his attention. But once he did notice he immediately regretted it. Because right in front of him stood Jem in uniform, but that wasn't worried him the most. It was the worried and pissed off expression on his face that made Alan almost shiver in panic.

"I'm glad that you're okay," Jem said with hidden anger in his voice. "However I do believe have quite a lot to talk about once we get home including how you managed to get in the middle of this situation when you were supposed to be at school and get a healthy education."

Alan turned his face away in shame, but he knew better than to try and deny anything especially when he had been caught. However the thing that he was not looking forward to was the conversation he was going to have with Jem and Haley when they got back home. If there was one thing that Alan and his adoptive family more or less sucked in was having a civil conversation about his behavior and trouble-making ways. He and Jem was the worst with them losing their tempers, which lead to them almost having screaming matches. It was only because of Haley that they didn't kill each other whenever they fought and still managed to have the close relationship that they had.

Alan sighed and nodded his head in defeat. Then Jem lead him to one of the squad cars that would take him first to the station for him to give a statement on the situation before he would be escorted back home. During the trip to the station all Alan could think about was how bad he was going to be punished for his actions this time and how his punishment would affect not only him, but Jem and Haley as well.

* * *

"There is a difference between stupidity and insanity, Alan!" Jem exclaimed. Alan rolled with his eyes and sighed in annoyance as he sat there on the couch listening to Jem reprimanding him for basically everything that had happened today along with other unfortunate events that he had done which caused both trouble and pain for Jem and Haley in more ways than one. The moment they had gotten back to the apartment Jem had begun scolding him and paced back and forth in anger while he and Haley sat in the couch listening to him rant for thirty minutes without stops or breaks. Normally Alan would be defensive over the reprimanding and start arguing back, but he was too tired and annoyed to care, and wanted nothing more than to leave and just go to sleep and forget this day had ever happen, but Jem was honestly making things harder for that plan to work.

"Are we done soon?" Alan asked defeated. His head leaned backwards and into the cushion. "Dinner is soon ready and I for one is starving. So how about we eat first? And then if you have more to say, we can continue the reprimanding after dinner."

"That seems like a good idea," Haley said reassuring. She patted his knee before she got off the couch and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. "Be nice you two."

Then she left him alone with Jem who looked not so ecstatic about the idea. However Jem didn't say anything instead took the seat next to him and was facing him with a tired and defeated look.

"Alan, listen to me," Jem said. "This behavior you keep doing, it is going to get you in someserious trouble. What happened today at the body shop, it scared the hell out of me and it was a clear wake-up call for me. Because I care about you so much that I don't want your life in danger. And by getting in trouble like you do now the chances to fix things lessens. At some point neither Haley nor I can get you out of the trouble you managed to get yourself in. And I don't know what else we can do to help you understand that you are a good and bright kid with so much potential to do anything if you put your mind to it. But right now you are wasting your talents away and I don't know what else I can do for you."

Alan didn't say anything. He kept his head down and his hands rested on his lap, while trying to maintain calm, but in his mind things was spinning. He couldn't help wondering if Jem was finally going to ask him to leave and never return. Just thinking about being thrown away and abandon by the only people in the world, it scared him more than his own well-being. However he was taken back by what Jem continued saying, "Which is why Haley and I decided to send you to boarding school. More specifically the Wharton Academy For Boys."

"What!" Alan exclaimed in shock. "You're sending me to boarding school. Why in the world…I already have a school, so why the hell are you sending me to boarding school?"

"I think you need a fresh start, somewhere you can find out what you want to do with your life and by sending you to Wharton gives you exactly just that."

Alan shook his head, couldn't believe what was happening. His world or the world that he knew off any way, was changing and he didn't like it one bit. That was why he needed to get away.

"I…I need to be alone," Alan replied shaken up. He stood up from the couch and hurried off into his room and slammed the door behind him. He could hear Jem calling after him, asking him to come back so they could talk about it, but right now Alan was too messed up and needed time to think. So in order to ignore Jem's voice on the other side of the door he put on his headphones, which was attached to his computer and began playing loud music in his ears. Tuning out the rest of the world, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Jem felt horrible when he saw the teen slammed his bedroom door behind him. He could have handled the situation better, especially after they both have had a bad day.

"You could have waited to tell him," Haley said. He turned to see her leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen with her arms crossed.

"I know," Jem turned back and picked up a photograph that was sitting on the coffee table. It was a recent picture that was taken a couple of weeks ago with the three of them standing next to each other with huge grins on their faces. But what he focused on in the picture was the teen with the long blond hair that went down to the waist. If he didn't know any better Alan could have easily been mistaken for a girl with blue eyes and slightly tanned skin. He had no clue why Alan was persistent about keeping his hair long, but then again he had no clue what was going through that kid's head.

"When do you think he has calmed down enough to talk with us again?" Jem asked before putting the picture away and looked at Haley again. She sighed and took a seat next to him and took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Hopefully later tonight," Haley said. "If we are unlucky then probably in two days when we are driving him up to Wharton."

Jem slumped back and closed his eyes. This day had been horrible and nothing seemed to have lightened it up, especially with the situation Alan got himself in the middle of. When he had taken Alan in he had not been sure what exactly would happen, but he quickly learned over the years that teenagers were like foreign creatures. Alan was even more of a mystery than average, since he had no clue what was going on with him and he certainly didn't know how to help him any other way than sending him away to Wharton. All he ever wanted for Alan was that he could have a bright future he deserved to have. He could only hope that Alan find the answers he needed in order for him to get his act together and do something with his life that didn't get him in trouble for once.

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**Here's the next chapter. Sorry for being so late updating. But I have been busy with school and then I was sick for a couple of days, making it hard to concentrate to write. **

**But thank you for the reviews, favorite and the followings and please continue doing so. I will update this story as soon as I can. **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	3. Welcome To Hell

**2\. Welcome To Hell**

Just as Haley predicted, Alan didn't calm down until two days later when the three of them was driving to the boarding school that was located just outside of Boston. During those two days Alan had been avoiding them like a plague and whenever they did get a hold of him and tried to talk to him, he only responded with mostly one-word syllables. Not exactly the way to strike a conversation. It was even worse during the car ride with Alan sitting in the backseat with earplugs in his ears, listening to the music on his iPod and ignoring them even further. The car's atmosphere was heavy and very much uncomfortable since no one spoke to each other and instead tried to focus on the road ahead.

It was probably even worse for Jem since he was driving and his mind was occupied with the fact that his patience was reaching its limit when it came to Alan's grudge. He knew better than anyone that Alan was pretty much a mature kid, not when it came to getting himself in trouble of course, but it was times like this he truly showed how childish he could be. Which is why his attitude put Jem in the situation where he had to be the authority one and act like a parent, which was strange since he was only twelve years older than him and was easily mistaken for an older brother rather than a father, but it was difficult since Alan had pretty much a none-existing care for the authorities and would be stubborn about anything or anyone who tried to control him. However he was just as determined not to be the person that broke first between him and Alan, but the kid was making it very hard to remain the calm and responsible adult. It wasn't until Alan began singing lowly the song _Highway to Hell_ that caused Jem's patience finally snap.

"Seriously," Jem exclaimed as he turned slightly to the back to look at the teen, who was starting to grin over the fact that he had won the tug war and the fact he finally decided to acknowledged his presence. "You going to Wharton are definitely not the highway to hell, so please stop being so dramatic about it and man up!"

"Whatever you say, Jem," Alan said nonchalant. "You are just sending me away since then you don't have to deal with the problem."

That comment made Jem step on the breaks and drove to the side of the road. He stopped the car and turned to look at the teenager with a pissed off expression on his face and said angrily, "Is that what you think? That we are sending you away because we don't want to deal with you!"

Alan shifted slightly in his seat, obviously uncomfortable over the conversation, but didn't reply on the accusation. However Jem knew that his silence was a confirmation over that it was in fact true. Still that didn't make him any happier instead it only made him angrier over how such a bright kid could possibly think that about the only people they knew of that care about him.

"I already told you two days ago why we decided this," Jem said wearily. He tightened the grip on the steering wheel in order to contain his raging emotions. "You need a new start somewhere else and we thought it was best that somewhere else was somewhere away from us. It will give you an opportunity to be responsible for yourself and possibly figure out who exactly you are and who you want to be."

Jem closed his eyes for a second; taking in the words he was saying and realized how true as well as heavy those words were out loud. He sighed and opened his eyes to look at the distraught teenager, who was listening and taking in what exactly he was saying. However Alan was looking at the hands that rested on his lap and was shaken slightly in order to contained his emotions, but Jem wasn't going to let him go that easy without getting the message through his thick head.

"Both Haley and I want nothing, but the best for you," Jem explained and grabbed Alan's jaw and lifted his head, forcing Alan to look at him. "We love you very much and would never throw you away, because you are after all our precious little brother."

Alan's eyes grew wet, but tears didn't stream down his face. Jem knew that he was trying to keep his feelings inside, but he wished more than anything that Alan would allow himself to let down this wall around his heart and allow people to know his thoughts and feelings. It was one of the many reasons Alan would get close to anyone else and be friends with other people, since he didn't want people to be burdened by his thoughts and feelings. Even though Alan never stated out the reason why, Jem had a good idea that it had something to do with his amnesia.

Twelve years of his life was gone from his mind, even though he remembers the knowledge and abilities he has learned, he can't recall people or memories from his previous life. He had no clue who his biological family are or why he can't remember anything before Jem and Haley had taken him in. It was hard to believe Alan had never once taken interest in finding out his true identity or family, at least not that either he or Haley knew about, but he could only assume that Alan didn't want to hurt their feelings by trying to find them or simply because he didn't want to find the people who gave up searching for him.

"Okay," Alan murmured. His eyes shifted in every direction, looking anywhere except at him. Jem let go of his grip on Alan's jaw and once again sighed heavily before he turned around and started the car.

"Okay, now let's get to Wharton before it get dark," Jem said. He put on the turn signal in order for the other drivers to understand he was entering the road. Then they continued on the road, but this time the atmosphere was lighter than before and it didn't take long before they all got into a conversation. The previous issue was already forgotten and the rest of the trip to Wharton was a lot more pleasant than earlier, even though Alan was not exactly ecstatic about the idea of going to boarding school with rich kids, but at least he had a better understanding of the situation.

* * *

Alan was staring out the window when the car finally stopped in front of the academy. He exhaled heavily and all he could think about was that he was seriously not looking forward to going to Wharton for several reasons, but he owed it to Jem and Haley that he would at least try and do what they asked. Who knows maybe they were actually right and this place might be good for him?

So he got out of the car and stared at the gate entrance with huge fences surrounding the property. The school reminded him of a high security prison, where the property was disconnected from the rest of the world. In some ways it might be actually true considering Wharton Academy was a boarding school for the rich and the privileged or as he would say the school for the stupid and spoiled. These boys who went to this school was likely what he was expecting and they were going to judge him once they figured out his social status, which is why he had planned to stay low and keep thing wrapped up about himself.

As he had finally made up his mind, Jem and Haley began saying their goodbyes to him. Haley gave him a tight hug that left him almost breathless. Despite the fact that he was having difficulty in breathing, he didn't pull away from her and instead simply allowed her to say her goodbyes like a mother sending her child off to college.  
"Promise me, you will call us as often as you can," Haley murmured into his hair. She stroked her hand up and down his long blond hair and gave gentle kisses at his scalp. "Especially call us if there is any problems and then we will rush over if you need us to."

Alan chuckled. Then he returned the hug with the same appreciation and carefully stroked his hand through her hair.

"I will-I will," Alan promised. "But you are aware that you two do have jobs that requires a lot of your attention, right? I can't exactly call and expect you to drop everything for me."

Haley and Jem had obviously not thought about that part and both held this blank facial expression like they were seriously considering what exactly he was saying. It was so comical that he couldn't stop himself from laughing at the situation. He was laughing so hard that he held around his stomach, which was starting to hurt a little. For second both Haley and Jem was looking at him, wondering what in the world was wrong with him until they too began to laugh along.

Once they all managed to calm themselves down, Jem handed him the blue and dark purple duffle bag, which had some of the things he needed for his stay since they had already sent the most important things over earlier to the school. However there was one more thing Jem had his hand and said gently, "I thought that you might want this."

Jem handed him a dark blue baseball cap and Alan accepted it with appreciation.

"Thanks, Jem," Alan said gratefully. He smiled looking at the cap, thinking back from the time he first got it. It had been gift from Jem one time when he had taken him to see his first baseball game. Everything had been confusing for him at that time considering how little he knew about himself and other things, so it had been a good memory for him when everything else was a total blank. Which is one of the reasons why this cap was his favorite and one of his most precious possessions. "I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, kid," Jem replied. He took the cap from Alan's hands and put it on his head. "You will do great here. But promise me that you will try and not get in trouble on your first day here."

"Me, trouble?" Alan said innocently. He pointed at himself and tilted his head to the left. They all knew that he was only joking and it was true about being a troublemaker, but that didn't mean that he didn't like pulling Jem's tail whenever he could. "I don't make trouble."

"Aha, sure you don't," Jem nodded. He smirked and was going along with the joke. "I'm convinced, but for my sake will you just try and not get involved in any kind of trouble or argument with anyone. You will put ease on my old heart if you do."

"Alright, I will try," Alan said dramatically. "Now get out of here. It's a long drive and you need to get back before dark since you both have morning shifts tomorrow. And relax I will be fine."

Then they talked a short while giving him the instructions over what and where he was going to go once he entered school property. The plan was that he was going straight to the administration and gets his schedule and other information before he was going straight to class. Simple enough, but Jem had this picture that he was somehow going to screw it up and get in trouble. Not that it was a big surprise or anything, but seriously where is the trust? The instruction was so simple that even a screw-up like him couldn't mess it up.

So reluctantly Jem and Haley left him standing there in front of the entrance. They continued waving at him and he waved back at them until the car disappeared. When the car was completely gone from his sight, then he turned around and looked at what he considered the gateway to hell.

"Welcome to Hell, Alan," Alan mumbled to himself as he nervously tighten the strap of his duffle bag. "So don't screw this up. Just remember the plan. Go to school, lay low with the other kids and most importantly don't get in trouble." Then he thought over his plan and realized there was something wrong with that plan. So continued explaining to himself, "Whom am I kidding? I will probably get in a lot of trouble during my time here. So lets rephrase, try and not get in too much trouble."

When he had finally made up his mind he took one last look at his current location, taking the last images of reality, before he sighed and began walking to the other side of the gate. During his walk across the two places he didn't turn back once, knowing that there was no turning backs now. So without much to be said Alan entered the other side of the gate and then his new school adventure began. What he didn't know was that his adventure was definitely began with a bang.

* * *

Fermat Hackenbacker was in a hurry for his next class, which was across campus from the living area, and he had only a couple of minutes before his chemistry class would begin without him. Not that any of the students cared if he was there or not, but the teachers would probably miss him since he was one of the few who actually was interested in the subjects and listened despite some of them being extremely boring. Never mind those silly thoughts, Fermat thought as he decided to take a short cut through the front yard right around the main gate. Unfortunately his plan was interrupted by three of his fellow classmates, but that wasn't the unfortunate part. They were also three of many students who despised him for being a scholarship student and the only other reason for him to be going to this highly privileged school was that his father was an employee of Mr. Tracy, who was kind enough to pay for his schooling despite not having any children his own age who would go the same place. He and his dad was more than grateful for Mr. Tracy's generosity, however that generosity made things difficult for him in the long run.

"Look, guys," Marcus Alistair said tauntingly. He smirked and pointed at him while his fellow friends snickered. They stood right in front of him and made sure that he didn't have any way of escaping them. "It's our favorite street rat on his way to class."

Fermat felt his body curl up in anxiety when he accidently lost his backpack on the ground. He tried to retrieve it, but Marcus was faster and grabbed his backpack before he got the chance.

"Our rat doesn't want to share his stuff with us. That makes me wonder what you are trying to hide," Marcus replied. The tone in his voice wasn't threatening, but his dark brown was cold and empty. A complete void of empathy for him as he began taking out all of his books and threw on the wet grass. Fermat wanted to stop him for treating his books like garbage, because he valued books like any human being. A book should never be harmed in any way, especially by hands of those who do not appreciate them. However he was too afraid that he tried to fight back that they would turn their attention on him and begin to harm him instead. So Fermat watched as book for book was thrown harshly to the ground while trying to maintain a calm demeanor.

Once Marcus had emptied his schoolbooks from his backpack and thrown them into the ground he handed his notebooks to his friends. "All that is in here is just stupid books. Useless things for someone who are not worth being here, around rich and privileged people like us. But then again it makes things so much easier to rip apart what matters to you."

With that signal Marcus's friends began ripping the pages out of his notebook and papers began flying away.

"P-please s-stop," Fermat begged. Not wanting to see more of his stuff and hard work get thrown away like it was nothing. "L-leave m-me alone."

His begging made them all stop, but instead of doing what he asked they simply laughed at him tauntingly before Marcus grabbed him the collar of his shirt and held up slight above the ground.

"Since you are begging, why don't you just leave and go back where you truly belong?" Marcus sneered. Fermat swallowed and his gaze shifted to all the students was either passing through to get to class or was watching the situation that was going on, begging them to help him, however no one stepped in to help him. They didn't even try and help instead they looked away and pretended that they haven't seen a thing. Fermat felt fear building up as his focus shifted back to Marcus, who was clutching the grip on his collar tighter, which made it difficult for him to breathe.

"I-I…" Fermat stuttered. He had no clue how to answer his question, especially when he didn't really want to leave the school because of the great possibilities it would give him, but it was almost unbearable to live with until the day he graduated and left for college.

"What? C-c-cat got your tongue," Marcus said. He was making fun of his stuttering, which was probably the simplest way to torment him, and he didn't waste opportunity to do it either whenever he could. "Don't expect anyone to save you."

Fermat realized resistance was futile, so he closed his eyes and just waited for the moment where Marcus fists was meeting against his skin and bruise his body. The worst part was that he bruised like a peach and he was going to have to hide the bruise marks from his dad and the rest of the Tracy family. If they found out that the students at Wharton was bullying him because of his dad's connection with Tracys, it was no doubt that they were going to meddle in and possibly making things worse than it already was.

But the pain never came instead an unknown voice shouted out loud, interrupting Marcus on his beating, and said angrily, "What are you doing! Leave that kid alone!"

Marcus dropped him and he fell down on the ground, while surprisingly avoided landing at his schoolbooks and fell like a potato bag. Once he was done focusing on the pain from falling on the ground he turned to see whoever had interrupted and automatically helped him out. And he had to be lying if he didn't say the person who saved him didn't surprise him, especially when that person was nothing like he expected him to be. At least he thought it was a guy standing a couple of feet away from them. He was tall with long blonde hair, which was dancing in the small breeze. He wore a baseball cap on his head and was dressed in worn-out jeans, a grey t-shirt, a blue jacket and black sneakers. On his left shoulder hung a duffle bag and he was clutching the strap of the bag like a lifeline to keep his temper down. But in Fermat's opinion it was like looking at a girl cross-dressing as a guy while trying to get a movie role as a runaway teenager, but apparently there was no mistake that this was a guy when he began talking.

"Who in the world are you?" Marcus asked with a sour tone in his voice. "Who do you think you are? Interrupting and butting in on a private conversation like a hooligan."

"I'm the guy who is trying to help the kid that you all are harassing and was just about to beat-up," the blonde guy replied snarky. "Now scram before things turns to the worse."

Marcus and his friends only laughed, since they didn't take the blonde guy as much as a threat despite that it was pretty clear that he wasn't kidding.

"Oh yeah, you think you can take the three of us down on your own," Marcus relaxed. He cracked his knuckles, preparing to fight the blonde guy, and approached the guy with short steps. "You should not underestimate me."

"I should be saying the same thing to you," the blonde guy said with a smug grin. "You shouldn't underestimate me."

With that said Marcus and the blonde guy stepped aside from Fermat and Marcus's friends in order to keep the fight between them. It was Marcus who threw the first punch towards the guy's face and Fermat were waiting for the guy to fall on the ground and get punched to a plump. However the guy didn't meet Marcus's fist instead took a step to the side, avoiding the attack and then used his right foot and pushed Marcus to the ground the minute he had barely maintained his balance. Everyone was surprised how simple the guy managed to take Marcus down without making any offensive attacks and he had not made many movements in order to it either.

"What?" the guy asked with this cockiness tone. "I told you not to underestimate me. Now do you want to continue this or will you do us all a favor and realize it is your loss and leave the kid alone. And before you answer the question, think very hard about the consequences with the choices that is laid in front of you."

Marcus looked at the guy with this dark expression on his face before he turned his gaze towards him, like he was seriously thinking over the options. Then Marcus got up from the ground and brushed the dirt from his knees.

"You just got lucky, street rat," Marcus sneered. "But next time your girlfriend can't help you."

Marcus nodded his head to his friends, signaling to his friends to finish the problem, which were in other words him and the blonde guy. So once Marcus left the front yard, his two friends began approaching the two of them. The blonde guy moved closer to him and took a protective stance in front of him, like he was protecting from Marcus's friends. Fermat found this protectiveness nostalgic, in a way that it reminded him on how the Tracy boys would quickly defend their family or rather their brothers. So it was strange how his unknown guy acted similar to them and even had the same protective feel about him. But he quickly shook the idea out of his head, since there was no way this guy was in any way related to the Tracy family. He would have known if there was another brother, especially if it was a blonde-haired brother, which there wasn't if you didn't count John.

Anyway the blonde guy stood there in front of him, covering him from Marcus's friends while keeping his attention on them before he whispered, "You should get out of here."

Fermat thought for a second that he had misheard what exactly he had said, but when he said once again what he wanted him to do it finally got through his brain.

"W-what?" Fermat said. Even though he understood the question, but somehow he couldn't comprehend it.

"Let me take care of these guys while you go and find a teacher or someone who can take control over the situation, especially when I have this tendency to make things blow up in the face," the guy replied and shrugged his shoulders. "So it might be a good idea to take some damage control just in case."

"R-right," Fermat agreed. "B-b-but w-what is your n-name?"

It sounded rude to just call him the blonde-haired guy, especially since he was doing so much for him without being asked to and would probably get in a lot of trouble because of it. Another reason was that when he ran to get a teacher he had to know all the facts and minimize the trouble.

"I'm Alan Shepard," the guy or should he rather say Alan said gently. "And if you didn't guess it already, I'm new here. So nice to meet you and now please go and get a teacher."

Fermat didn't need to be asked twice and he quickly got up and sprinted to the closest building, which was the language building where the education mainly resolved around English or other foreign languages, and entered the building in hope of finding a teacher since class had already started.

* * *

The sound of his feet touching the marble floor clanged through the empty halls, giving it a feel of being in a ghost town. Invisible, but you still could hear and feel the presence of someone else lurking around. Unfortunately because of this it seemed to be quite a task to find a teacher anywhere in the building. Fermat was getting both stressed and annoyed how every time there was no need for a teacher to be around they were always there, while when it was truly an emergency there was no one around. How inconvenient, which makes him wonder what's the point in having a teacher roaming around the campus and in the halls if there are never around when you need them to be?

Fermat exasperated turned the corner and literally crashed into someone and he stumbled to the ground. He looked up to see exactly whom he had bumped into and was glad when it was the French teacher, Mrs. Dubois. The woman was not in any way kind or very pleasant person to be around with, but right then Fermat didn't care less if she was warmest person in the whole wide world. The only thing that mattered to him was that she was a teacher and she could get in middle of things and end the fight before it got any worse than what he was anticipating.

"Monsieur Hackenbacker," Mrs. Dubois said with a thick French accent. Her voice was expressing unpleasantness, since she didn't like having students who broke the ground rules. And she especially didn't like it when one of her star pupils was doing it either. "What are you doing here? You should be in class, not roaming around the halls like many of the other students who don't take education seriously."

"I-I n-need your h-help," Fermat said anxiously. "T-there is a f-f-fight going on in the f-front y-yard. P-please h-help u-us o-out."

Mrs. Dubois looked at him suspiciously, not entirely sure if he was pulling her leg or not, but she didn't say anything instead followed after him as they walked back towards the front yard. As they hurried back the only thing that was going through Fermat's mind was the wellbeing of his newfound hero and seriously hoped that things didn't blow up too much.

* * *

The day certainly didn't turn out the way Alan had hoped, especially with his attempt not to try causing trouble on the first day. Unfortunately not only did he managed to cause trouble the same day he got here, but he managed to do just minutes being there. Must be a new personal record or something, Alan thought to himself as he was standing in the principal or should he rather say the headmaster's office, being giving the longest reprimanding yet. He didn't really see the problem, since he didn't beat the two students to the unrecognizable instead just minimal beating with bloody noses and a couple of bruised ribs. Nothing too serious that they couldn't be at school the next morning, but this school took obviously something seriously when they even called up Jem and told him everything.

Anyway after he got yelled at from both the headmaster and Jem for what seemed like forever, the two of them agreed that since it was his first day and didn't intentionally (or least based on what they knew) tried to do anything wrong that his punishment would be him being locked in his room for the rest of the day without supper or contact with anyone other than roommate. That was totally fine by him, so he left quietly the headmaster's office and was given his room key and his school schedule before he was escorted by one of the teachers to his room.

Once he was locked inside his room he took time to get a better look at the room. One side of the room was clean and untouched with a bed and desk while the other side was occupied with walls decorated with space posters and mathematical solutions. His roommate's desk was filled with books and a high-tech computer, which all in all gave Alan the impression that his roommate was a computer/science-geek. So there was still a chance that he might get along with his roommate after all. Alan shrugged his shoulders and began unpacking his stuff. For about an hour he rearranged his side of the room, while listening to classic rock on his stereo when someone suddenly opened the door. Alan turned around in awareness and was surprised to see the kid he helped out earlier.

"H-h-hello," the kid said awkwardly. "M-my name is Fermat H-hackenbacker. I-I'm your r-roommate."

Alan couldn't help but smile at the kid, who was at least one foot shorter than him with round, blue glasses and short dark brown hair. He assumed that Fermat was also younger than him, since he seemed more innocent and naïve than anyone else his age, but then again he had a feeling that he had never been very innocent when he was young. So he gave Fermat a gentle smile and the two of them shook hands and he said nicely, "Nice to meet you again. I had no idea who my roommate was going to be, but I'm glad that it is you, since you seem to be the only one here who are normal."

"T-thanks," Fermat stuttered nervously. Alan felt immediately bad for making him nervous and tried to reassure him that he wasn't going to hurt him.

"Hey, don't be scared," Alan tried to calm him down. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"N-n-no," Fermat denied. "T-This is h-how I-I t-t-talk."

Alan tilted in wonder before he smiled once again. This day had started with him going to hell, but he would have never guessed there was someone humane in hell. Maybe there was a chance he might actually like this school after all.

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**Here's a new chapter, I hope you guys like it. First thing I want to mention is the lack of reviews. I'm not trying to be greedy or rude or anything, but seriously I work my butt to update my stories. And a little recognition and feedback is all I have to know if you guys like the stories or not. Many times during the period I have written on this I have been thinking if I should really continue this or not. If no one really care to read it then it is no use for me to write on it either, right? So please give a signal that you want this story, I really believe it is worth it. **

**The second thing I want to say is that because I'm busy with school, other stories and life itself I'm not sure how often I will update on the story, but I will at least try to update once a month. At least if you guys wishes for me to continue to work on this. So please be understanding.**

**I want to thank you for the reviews (The ones I got for the first chapter), favorite and followings. I will update this when I can, but until next time...**

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	4. Friends And Hardships

**3\. Friends And Hardships**

Things at Wharton Academy was moving swiftly along, days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months. And soon it was already mid-October and everyone was looking forward to the coming holidays. And for once in his life, Fermat was actually a little sad over how quick time had passed and getting closer to return back to the island. Not that he didn't miss his dad or the Tracy's, but over the past few months he had started to enjoy his stay at Wharton that didn't involve education. The reason behind this positive change was oddly enough because of his roommate Alan. They got along great and shared many similar interests, even though there was huge difference between them as well both in personality and appearance, but the best thing was that they both had this mutual respect for each other. It was hard to explain it, but whenever their opinions clashed they both respected their differences and didn't try and convince or change it. Instead they allowed themselves to be themselves, which was truly rare to find among friends, and could almost be considered friends. Almost, that is.

Fermat learned over course of weeks that even if they were talking and was generally nice to each other (not mentioning the ordinary forced politeness he got with everyone else other than family) Alan was generally secretive about himself and everything about his past. Whenever he mentioned his dad or the Tracys in a conversation Alan's face would turn completely blank and pretend to be interested, but his thoughts were somewhere else entirely. That wasn't all either. His friend's secretiveness not only made him friendless at the academy due to his own impulsive actions and Marcus's shutting him out from the rest of the students, but he wouldn't explain anything about all the things he knew or how he learned it, not even to him. Like that one time they had locked themselves out of their room and Alan managed to pick the lock in manner of minutes with just a pair of bobby pins. Even then his newly found friend would reveal anything to him, which caused Fermat to doubt if they really were as good friends as he wished them to be. But despite his doubts he wasn't going to give up, especially when it seemed that Alan more than anything needed a true friend in his life. And he wanted to be that friend.

* * *

Jeff Tracy read through the proposal for Tracy Enterprises before he leaned back in his office chair. The entire morning he had been busy with work proposals and phone meetings and everyone demanded his attention on the minute. So he didn't realize that he was starting to get tired before lunchtime. He closed his eyes and he placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose in exhaustion over the on-going list of things he needed to do as well potential work he was going to do once someone requested International Rescue help.

International Rescue was a secret, non-profit organization that was dedicated to assist people who found themselves in danger. The organization was founded by him and with the help of his sons and employees of his household. The work they did for the world was most of the time successful, but there were also times where they couldn't save everyone who was in danger. No matter how much they tried and wanted to help everyone, there was no possibility to save everyone. Just like he couldn't save his wife and baby son from death.

Jeff opened his eyes and looked around distressed before he found the photograph of his lovely Lucy and his baby boy Alan. In the photo she was holding their son in her arms and looked at the photographer with grin on her face, meanwhile Alan looked more or less confused over what was going on, but that didn't stop him from giving off a gentle smile on his face. It had been thirteen years since they died and it still hurt to think about them till this day.

They all had been on holiday up in the mountains, just having fun in the snow when an avalanche suddenly happened and buried Lucy and Alan alive in the snow. Everyone tried to look for them, but it was useless to find anything in the snow. So they finally gave up trying to find them since there was no way neither of them could have survived the avalanche after being buried in the cold for hours. With a heavy heart he had to tell his sons that their mother and baby brother wasn't coming back. After hearing those news it literally broke his family apart. His sons had not only lost their mother, but also lost a brother. Somehow they still managed to stay strong for each other due to his oldest son Scott, but he couldn't handle it and distanced himself from his sons who each reminded him about the woman and child he lost. It was until Scott and his mother demanded him to step up after Gordon managed to land himself in the hospital after an unfortunate event in the playground. Only then did he managed to snap out of his grief and realized that his other sons still needed him, which ultimately ended with them moving to the island and established IR to help others in need. Jeff never regretted the decision, but he felt terribly guilty for not being able to save Lucy and Alan.

"You would have been sixteen right about now," Jeff mumbled to the picture. "If you were still alive I would bet you would have been quite the firecracker, causing trouble wherever you went. Being a pain to your brothers and probably getting in a lot of verbal fights with Scott and me."

He couldn't help but chuckle over the idea of Alan, the son who resembled his mother the most in both personality and appearance. His hand gently caressed the frame like he was truly touching their faces. He missed them very much and wondered if they were out there somewhere watching out for him and everyone in spirit. If they were he hoped that they were proud of him and would continued watching out for them, giving them hope and courage whenever they needed it.

As he thought this, his thoughts and memories were interrupted by the loud alarm that timbered over the entire island. It signaled that someone was in desperate need of International Rescue's assistance somewhere. And it didn't take long before Scott, Virgil, Gordon and Brains showed up at his office and his office turned into the command center for IR. Once everyone gathered up he and his three sons went to the silos, which lead to the hangar, where they kept all the Thunderbird aircrafts. Then shortly after that they were on their way off to the location where they requested their assistance.

* * *

Alan sighed once again. Sitting in class and listening to the dull teacher was almost suffocating him. He understood how important his education was and that the intelligence level for the education at Wharton were at its top, but he already knew and remembered perfectly the subject of the class by heart and listening to it again was just simpler way to put him to sleep. However he had promised Jem that he would at least try and listen and not fall asleep again like he had done many times at his previous schools. So in order to stay awake and at least appear to be listening he did the thing he was good at and mostly enjoyed to do when he was seriously bored, he escaped the boring life of reality and began daydreaming about a life outside the academy. It was nice not thinking about all the things that were going on around him as well as the things that he couldn't explain about himself no matter how much he tried. When he woke up at the hospital four years go everything around him was strange and confusing, but he adapted and figured things out despite not having access to his memories prior to the amnesia. He was happy with how his life turned out, not the part about being forced to attend Wharton Academy, but that didn't stop him for dreaming of another life than his own.

When he began daydreaming he could imagine his life being as adventurous and important as International Rescue or as fans officially called them the Thunderbirds. From the moment he first time saw them on the television he had been amazed by their work and how they put their lives in stake for the sake of others. It was truly admirable and something he wanted to take part of and help others. He had a dream of joining them, but he shook his head by the thought. No way was it possible for him to be a part of such an organization, even in his dreams it seemed so unlikely.

"Mr. Shepard?" an annoyed voice said, interrupting his mindless daydreaming. Alan turned to the direction of the voice and noticed the teacher standing a few feet away from his desk, staring at him with disdain. Alan had no clue what to do, especially since everyone else in the room was staring at the interaction between the two of them. "Are my classes that boring that you can't focus for ten more minutes?"

"…Do you really want me to answer that?" Alan answered innocently. He tilted his head and grinned. The students snickered over his comment, while Fermat looked worried about the whole conversation since he was basically asking to get himself in trouble. The teacher tried her hardest to restrain her aggravation and keep herself calm in front of the class before she said forcefully, "Mr. Shepard, I don't think you understand how lucky you are to get an education here at Wharton Academy because there are many people with your status who would have loved to attend here. I have seen your grades and I must say a student with your intelligence and talent is wasting it all away by daydreaming in classes or skipping classes all together. You should really reconsider you attendance here if you don't even try to make it count to the fullest."

Alan shrugged his shoulders. He had heard the same lecture so many times before that the meaning behind it seemed to lose its purpose. What was the point to do well if you don't really do it for yourself? Everybody have told him to do his best and it will lead you to great results, but he came to realize over time that he did those things not for himself but for everyone else's sake. He shouldn't have to live up to anyone else's expectations other than his own, which was right now not much, but until he had figured it out would it be too much to ask that people got off his back about how he is wasting everything away.

The teacher sighed and showed a disappointed expression on her face, the same kind of expression he had seen multiple times on Jem and Haley, which made him feel like the dirtiest person walking on God's green earth. However he was too stubborn and proud to allow anyone to see his weak side.

"Alright, Mr. Shepard. Your punishment for not listening to my class as well as interrupting it just now will be detention where you will write me a paper on the subject I went through with the rest of the class. And I expect to see the paper at my desk at the end of the day, is that clear?"

"Crystal," Alan replied. Then he turned down to his desk and began opening his notebook quietly. He pulled out a pen and began writing his paper, despite the class not being over, but he figured he could get a head start and at least the teacher wouldn't catch him again for daydreaming and give him more detention. As he wrote everything down his gaze moved shortly to Fermat, who had been sitting next to him, and noticed that his roommate looked worried and possibly disappointed. Normally he wouldn't care or at least appear like he didn't care since he disappointed almost everyone, but he felt this pull in his chest that made him feel even guiltier about it. Fermat was the only person he was relatively close to and could almost be considered his best friend, but he was reluctant to truly open up to the friendship he was presenting him with for several reasons. The most important reason was that he was scared to let Fermat in and allow him to see the truth. The truth about his life and about his missing past was more vulnerable and more of a burden to anyone's knowledge than relief. People would pity him something he couldn't stand or want from anyone, especially from Fermat. However how was he supposed to really become friends with him if he wouldn't allow himself to admit his inner secrets?

* * *

"Crap-crap-crap," Scott mumbled to himself the moment he landed Thunderbird 1 in the hangar. The rescue mission in Cleveland was successful like most rescue missions, but he didn't realize the time before him and his family was on their way back to the island. He was over three hours late and from the looks of things there was no way he could make his appointment with one of his good friends from the Air Force he still had contact with. Normally his friend would have been understanding over the fact that he could make it due to work commitments, especially considering his friend also had a job that required much of his time, however he had already skipped out or cancelled on so many appointments at the last minute and his friend was already starting to lose his patience with him.

Scott pulled out his cellphone and hurried off before his dad or any of his younger brothers had time to stop and chat with him. His breath was getting more and more intense as the phone tried to connect the call. It wasn't until someone picked and grunted an irritated hello before he began apologizing.

"I'm sorry for doing this again," Scott said sincerely. "Something came up at the last minute and I didn't have the time to warn you."

"You know, I would have understood that if it happened two or three times, but not when it happens every single time for the last six months!" his friend exclaimed. "The worst part about this is that you can't seem to tell me what exactly you do that keeps you so occupied."

"It's complicated, Jem," Scott sighed. He ran his fingers through his short brown hair before he took a seat on the couch in the living room.

"I can understand complicated," Jem said annoyed. "I'm a police officer, which means things are never easy. However I have at least the decency to give a message in time, not three hours later."

Scott wanted to argue, but he had no good excuse that would help him in this discussion. Jem was one of his closest friends in the Air Force and one of the few people he still managed to keep some contact with, even after he joined the family business and International Rescue together with his family and the rest of the household on the island. However his dedication for his family and work affected greatly his friendship with Jem and they have not been able to catch up with each other entirely for the last four years.

"Look, I know that you have your own things to deal with," Jem replied softly. "But I miss hanging out with you. Sometimes I wonder if you distancing yourself from me is because of your relationship with Haley fell apart."

Scott could feel the warmth on his cheeks, thinking about his ex-girlfriend and Jem younger sister Haley. They were good together back in the day when they were still a couple, but things ended horribly between them due to the same reasons he was having with Jem. The only difference was that there was a whole other reason as to why he couldn't completely commit to her. Anyway even after he and Haley separated he still held warm feelings for her and if he ever believed there was a chance to get back together with her he would do it in a heartbeat, but as the situation was now there was no possibility that would happen if he could barely keep in touch with Jem.

"No, that's not it," Scott tried to reassure. While he continued holding the cellphone against his ear he looked around to see his younger brothers Virgil and Gordon by the pool. Then his dad entered the living room and quietly took the seat next to him and began reading the newspaper. "But listen, I'm very sorry and I hope I can make it up to you."

"How?" Jem snorted. "You don't exactly have a great track record."

"I know-I know," Scott forced himself not to roll his eyes in annoyance. If he didn't know his friend very well it wouldn't be hard to find out that he could hold a grudge if he was determined and it was truly a pain for everyone who was involved. Unfortunately for him this was one of those things Jem had begun holding a grudge against.

"I will be in town next week," Scott said, while eyeing at his dad to confirm his plans. His dad gave him a reassuring smile. He took it as a sign that his dad agreed with his plan and they could manage any rescue mission that might show up fine without him. "How about you give me a time? And we can set up a meeting from there."

The line went strangely quiet and he could almost imagine the gears in Jem's brain turn in order to think over about his proposal. Luckily it didn't take long before Jem agreed to meet him, but he had rearrange his schedule to make it work since he had apparently planned to visit someone on his day off. Scott almost felt bad for causing trouble on Jem's plans, but his friend quickly reassured him that it was alright and his visit was probably not very wanted for some reason.

"Great, then I will see you next week," Scott said with a grin before he hung up the phone. He let out a relived breath and turned to look at his dad, who had this amused expression on his face.

"What?" Scott asked. His dad only chuckled and returned to his paper. "Did I do something you found amusing?"

"Sort of," his dad answered before he turned a page. "It is rare to see you losing your cool like that. Normally that happens when your brothers are involved, so it is both surprising and comforting to see you do the same with your friends as well. You warm your old father's heart."

Scott felt immediately embarrassed. His cheeks were warm and he was pretty sure they were starting to go red. He clenched his teeth and screeched, "Seriously, dad! Are you trying to embarrass me?"

"It's my job as father to embarrass you and your brothers whenever I get the opportunity," his smirked before he ended the conversation completely. Scott didn't mind the conversation being over since he didn't want to stay around to have his dad tease him over his actions and almost putting him on the same level as Gordon. So he almost ran out of the living room and out to the pool to spend some time with his younger brothers, however that didn't stop him from hearing his dad laughing shortly after he had left the room.

* * *

Once classes and his detention was over for the day Alan went back to his room to relax before dinner. The room was empty when he arrived and almost wondered where his roommate where if he wasn't in his room. Then he remembered that Fermat was part of the computer club and would normally spend the afternoons when classes were finally over at the clubroom. Never once had he considered joining a school activity, even though there was clubs on campus that he found interesting, but he didn't really feel comfortable around people who judged him and looked down on his due to his abilities and social status. So he decided he rather stay in the background and see where things were going at the school before he would even reconsider joining a club.

Alan brushed his hair with his right hand. He found staying in the room lonely without Fermat there as company. Something he found peculiar since he had only known him for a couple of months and he was more used to be on his own due to Jem and Haley's occupations as well the fact that he didn't have any close friends to hang out with. Most of the time he was all right being alone, but in the long run it was lonely. However with Fermat around he never found himself lonely or bored. There was always something new he learned about him and he strangely found himself wanting to know more as well have the desire to let him know more about himself.

He shook his head, not wanting to think more about those thoughts, instead wanted to distract him until Fermat got back or till it was time for dinner. Whichever came first, he didn't care. His first on how to distract and keep himself occupied was to work on his computer, since it was one of his favorite activities and his main interest, but strangely enough he wasn't in the mood to sit in front of a computer screen. Normally he would be working on one of the programs he had developed or just strengthen his hacker skills, which no one knew about. It was essential that officer Jem in particular didn't know about that certain skill or the other crime-related talents he had. Of course he had no clue how he knew these things or where he had learned them from, but if Jem found out about those abilities Alan was pretty sure that Jem would overreact and possibly send him to juvie the moment he learned the truth. And he was certain that he wouldn't suit the orange jumpsuit. As the phrase goes, what you don't know won't hurt you.

In the end he decided to get a better perspective or rather look at things through a different angle. So in order to do exactly that he needed his hair not flowing around that is why he braided his hair to the side. Then he began stretching his limbs and joints before he found the perfect spot in the middle of the room to the exercise. He inhaled and exhaled before he stood up straight with his feet comfortable apart. Then he took a big step forward with his right leg before he tipped his body forward to do a handstand. In the heat of the moment he made sure straighten his legs and torso toward the ceiling as well keeping the weight on his hands. The feeling of standing upside down was exhilarating and was totally in control over his body. It was kind of interesting how things looked upside down and it was certainly a way to look at things through a different angle, quite literally he might add. He stood there for a short while before he attempted to spit his legs. The attempt was successful, so he decided to make things more difficult by walking on his hands. That was more difficult since he would tip over if he made sudden movements and did it really fast, but he took tentative steps around the room and somehow didn't lose his balance too much. However as he did this he thought over what he was going to do. As things was right now he was pretty friendless and alone here at the academy and he wasn't allowed outside the perimeter of the school property to see the people he worked with back at the body shop, but that was beside the point. Before he viewed the world as them against him and he allowed only Haley and Jem into the little bubble he lived in, but there was something about Fermat that made him question whether he should let him in or not. Was it because his roommate understood him? Possibly completed him differently from the way Jem and Haley did?

Alan shook his head, trying to deny the questions that were coursing through his mind. It sounded almost like he was in love with Fermat, which was definitely not the case, but a large part of him wanted to let Fermat in and become his friend. However that thought was almost terrifying to think about, since it meant to trust him not to hurt or betray him like he has been in the past. Again he didn't remember enough about his past to know this, but he had this nagging feeling to be suspicious about people and who to trust and the feeling hasn't been wrong up till now. Still he shouldn't let fear stop him from having a friendship or any kind of relationship for that matter with someone who cared and sincerely wanted him in his or her lives.

"W-what are y-you d-doing?" Fermat stated, interrupting his thoughts. Alan was sort of dazed that he didn't notice or realize him standing there by the door with this surprised expression on his face. Once he did notice he was taken by surprise that he lost both concentration and balance and his body began to tip. Knowing he needed a plan on how to land otherwise he could get seriously hurt, and since he had better control of his landing by tipping his feet backwards, he desperately forced himself to do exactly that and his feet fell backwards towards the floor. The he dropped into a crab back or as many called a bridge pose before he carefully laid his body on the floor. Once he was in the safe zone he turned his attention back on Fermat, who still looked surprised and confused over the whole situation.

"I got bored so I decided to pass time by doing handstands," Alan replied simply. He sat up and before he continued. "I hope you don't mind me doing so."

Fermat shook his head anxiously and sat down on his bed, looking like he was trying to comprehend the information he just gathered before he said anything else. So Alan didn't wait before he asked gently, "How was computer club?"

Fermat blinked his eyes a few times before he stuttered somewhere along the line that it went fine. Alan smiled him a gentle smile as a way to reassure him that he wasn't as terrifying as he might assume him to be, since Fermat always looked sort of insecure to talk his mind.

"W-why aren't y-y-you in the g-gymnastic club?" Fermat asked. "W-with your s-skills you s-should get in e-easily. S-so why h-haven't you j-joined any c-clubs?"

Alan sighed over the question. Once again his thoughts returned back to his dilemma, whether he should trust Fermat and allow him to become his friend. No matter what he did he didn't find any reasonable doubt to know take the chance, but again fear was standing in the way of making his final decision. Screw fear, Alan thought to himself after finally reached his limit and had finally had enough about worrying about the whole thing. He was tired of thinking it over, so he decided to take the leap and if it turned out to burn him in the ass later then at least he wouldn't have any regrets.

"First of all, I would get uncomfortable being around people who judge and look down on my abilities and social status," Alan replied. His gaze was turned towards the floor, not wanting to see the look on Fermat's face when he continued explaining his reason. "There is also the fact that people would ask where and how I learned certain things. You see I don't know twelve years of my life; I suffered from amnesia and everything about myself and my past is completely blocked and I don't have any access to them. Of course I remember stuff I learned, so I'm not a empty sheet or a vegetable, but I don't know who I was before I woke up in the hospital."

Fermat breathed in surprise, obviously wasn't expecting that answer. Alan could feel the shivers coming up his spine. He was nervous to continue, but he needed to get it out before he lost courage.

"…So in a way you could say I have technically existed for four years," Alan smiled awkwardly. "Which is why I keep a distance between others. I don't trust people easily and is mostly suspicious about their intentions. The only people in the whole world I trust and care about are my guardians, who are sort of my adoptive family since I woke up. That is, till now they were the only people I allowed in my world. And I hope to at least someone else want to be part of that world."

Alan turned up to look at Fermat, hoping he saw where he was going with the conversation. Guys weren't really into talking about their feelings or straight-out ask to be friends with each other. Alan was good example of this, because it was seriously embarrassing to ask someone to be his friend.

"Y-y-you mean m-me?" Fermat said astonished. "Y-you want m-me as your f-friend?"

Alan nodded and turned his gaze away. He knew he was probably blushing in embarrassment, but he tried not to think about it instead waited for Fermat's response.

"I-if y-you really want m-me to," Fermat said softly. "T-then I-I would be h-honored to be your f-friend and y-you mine."

Then like someone had lit a spark, Alan felt this warmth inside. The feeling of acceptance and friendship from another was truly heartwarming and amazing feeling and he could definitely grow to love it even more.

"We should probably head to dinner before everything is gone," Alan said with the goofy grin on his face. "Are you coming, friend?"

Fermat responded by giving him a similar smile before the duo of friends headed out the dorm and towards the dining hall. Neither of them had any idea what their friendship would mean in the future or how much their friendship was going to be tested through difficult trials.

**.**

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**New chapter, hope you guys like it. I know that this chapter might be more of a filler than anything else, but I felt I needed to establish the friendship between Alan and Fermat before the real story could start. For me, friendship isn't something you establish easily and it takes time before you fully trust someone enough to let them into your most vulnerable sides of yourself. Which is why Alan is more suspicious about people and their motives and not wanting to get hurt, so having Fermat in his life will give a more positive and a less reckless behavior. **

**Many of you asked about when to include the Tracys, so I did exactly that and I plan on having them more involved as the story goes on, but they won't figure out the connections between them and Alan before much later since there is going to tension between first. Hopefully you can bare with me, since I plan on writing this story longer than _I'm Still Here _story. **

**I want to thank you guys for the reviews, favorite and followings. And I seriously hope that you will continue doing so because I believe this story is worth it and you all will find it suspenseful and enjoying. So until next update... **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	5. Haunting Nightmares Is Not Reality

**4\. Haunting Nightmares Is Not Reality **

_Crack!_

_The whip from a leather belt pierced against the young boy's back. It happened swiftly and more than anything painfully. The boy was facing towards a concrete wall meanwhile his arms were leaning against the wall, trying to support himself from falling to the ground. The boy clenched his teeth in order to keep himself from screaming in pain. Sweat was running down his face and over the rest of his body like running water, but the warmth from the sweat only amplified the pain on the cuts that was forming behind his back. His head was leaning forward, looking straight at the floor. Blood was dripping, creating a small pool of blood underneath his feet. The boy wasn't too worried about the blood though, since he had already gotten used to be punished in such drastic measures by this psychopathic man. _

_"__Do you understand, brat?" a man said with a sinister tone, indicating that he was enjoying causing him pain. The boy had learned over time that the man was truly a sadistic ass, but he also learned that unless he didn't give the man any kind of sign that he was in pain like moaning or to the point where his body just collapses in pain and exhaustion, then he wasn't winning in his own game of inflicting him the entire pain that he was expecting from him. "When you get an order, you will listen and obey. No questions asked. No sarcastic or cocky replies. And if you keep disobeying then you will get punished and I promise you I will find a way to break you."_

_The boy didn't answer, but he knew the threat was real enough so he didn't doubt that the man would continue to try and break him until there was only tiny pieces left of him. However he would rather be dead then allow his man or any of the other people in the facility, try and control him like a puppet on strings. He would fight until his last breath or till he could no longer keep things in check mentally and just go insane. Whichever of those two things that came first, but his wish was that he could at least get out of this hell with dignity and his brain still in tact._

_"__Whatever you say…" The boy murmured. His head was kept down and he was looking at his worn-out sneakers. A moment went by since his response, but that was all it took before he felt the excruciating pain once again on his back again. However this time the whip was even faster and more painful than ever, not giving him time to catch his breath before the pain started again. Which was why the boy couldn't hold it in anymore, so he cried in pain and tears appeared. He screamed, cried and begged someone to save him and stop the madness, but no one answered his prayers and the man started to laugh sinisterly when he finally achieved his goal. The laugher was cutting through the numbness he felt in his ears and was beginning to haunt his mind. The boy's inner voice listened to the laugher and the taunting and begged for it all to stop. He was tired of everything. Tired of the never-ending pain and torture of what was his reality. He wished over and over for it all to end and just put an end to him. But reality pierced through him again, stopping his thoughts and allowed to get smothered by the excruciating pain. _

Alan jerked up from his bed, sat up straight and was breathing heavily. He almost screamed in panic and fear before something in the back of his mind stopped from doing so, by reminding him that his screams would wake up Fermat and possibly the rest of the dorm. His sight was blurry from the wetness in his eyes while his t-shirt was soaking wet from sweat, but that was the last thing that was on his mind. Over the last four years he had mostly had dreamless nights, but sometimes he had these terrifying nightmares of a young boy being physically or mentally abused. The whole picture was sort of blurry, never really seeing their faces clearly, but he was never mistaken over the people in the nightmares. But despite that the nightmares still scared the hell out of him.

He turned to look at the alarm clock that was residing on his nightstand. It was three in the morning and it was still totally dark outside. He groaned wearily and ran a hand through his greasy hair. His thoughts returned to the nightmare and he grew sick thinking about the horrific sight of an innocent boy being harmed like he was a worthless piece of crap. It was then nausea was building up and going up in his throat, so without any second to think about, he ran straight to the bathroom to puke his guts out in the toilet. His reaction to the nightmares was disgusting and he felt ashamed over it, which is why he told Haley and Jem about it. More importantly why he wasn't planning on telling Fermat about it because he didn't want the people he loved and cared most about in the whole world to worry about him.

Once he was done vomiting, his body slumped down on the cold bathroom floor with his arms wrapped around his stomach. Despite feeling hurt from the puking, he was also tired and wanted more then anything to go back to sleep, he was too agitated and awake to sleep. Then there is also the fact that he was slightly worried about the nightmare coming back. He was definitely not in the mood to watch another horrible nightmare and wake up to go and vomit his guts out again. So he decided to get out of bed and keep himself busy until he became sleepy again. Hopefully it would happen quickly since he really didn't want to get yelled at by his teachers for sleeping in the middle of class, at least not more than usual anyway.

So first thing he did was to take a quick shower and change out of those soaking clothes. Next thing he did was changing the bed sheets and put on clean sheets on. While he did all of this he tried to be as quietly as he could in order not to disturb Fermat sleep, but he was glad that Fermat was mostly a heavy sleeper. However thirty minutes later and he was still too agitated to sleep. So he tried to work on homework since his homework was starting to pile up. He never worked on the homework he got from class unless it was written assignment that the teacher needed in order to grade him. And though his opinion and thoughts on how he wasn't going to let other's expectations lead his life, there was a part of him that wanted to make Jem, Haley and Fermat proud of him. It was probably Fermat he wanted to prove himself most to, since the boy was persistent and more a voice of reason to his more impulsive nature, so he tried to keep him from getting in far too much trouble than what he normally would have. That is why he wanted Fermat to be proud of him to call him his friend.

Anyway it was starting to become annoying how even the most boring chores and homework couldn't get him even slightest exhausted. What was even more annoying was that every normal attempt to fall asleep failed him miserably when he lied down on his bed and did things like counting sheep, drinking some water, closing his eyes and emptying his mind etc. Seriously, was it too much to ask for a guy to get some sleep before he had to go through the day of boredom again?

Apparently it was, at least according to the universe. Alan groaned and slammed his head hard against the soft pillow. This was going to be long couple hours before it was time to get up and get to the day's classes. Hopefully he managed to get through the day without falling asleep or getting in too much trouble.

* * *

Taking another look at the clock on his wrist and not even two minutes had passed since he last checked it. Scott wondered if it was a good time to call Fermat and inform him about his visit to Boston. Whenever any of the Tracys was in the Boston area they would go and visit Fermat at the school, delivering stuff for Brains as well as checking up on the guy to see how he was doing. Since they all knew that Fermat was having a hard time fitting in to the school, no matter how hard the kid tried to hide it from them. So they made it an effort to make sure he was all right. If he weren't then the solution would be that Fermat would get homeschooled back at the island, which they really didn't wish for Fermat. The kid needed to have a sense of a normal life, be around normal people and get friends to be with. Something the International Rescue operation couldn't give him or Tin-Tin.

Scott sighed and decided to take a chance that Fermat was awake and had not yet left his room to go to breakfast and then to class. So he pressed the call button on his computer, opening the face chat with Fermat and waited for a response. Moments passed and nothing happened. He slowly grew impatient and was just about to give up when the screen changed and a picture of Fermat's dorm room appeared. However it wasn't Fermat who was sitting in front of the camera, it was a longhaired blonde. The odd thing was that he wasn't even sure if this person was a boy or a girl due to the person delicate facial features, but he assumed it was a guy since Fermat wasn't exactly confident with the ladies. What was even odder about this guy was that he looked almost exactly like his deceased mother who have been dead for thirteen years, that is why without any thought he said astonished, "Mom?"

The guy behind the camera was taken back by his words, but quickly hid his surprise. Then Scott realized what he had just said and was just about to take it back and apologize, since it was foolish to mistake a guy for being his dead mother, when the blond replied.

"Sorry, but I have to be a woman to be a mother," the blonde guy said with a joking tone. "Another point is that I'm too young to be your mother, though I guess I should be flattered to get mistaken as a woman, but then it might hurt my man pride."

Scott was surprised and had absolutely no clue how he was supposed to respond to that, but the blond guy continued talking while keeping this annoying smirk on his face.

"I guess that you are here to talk to Fermat?"

Scott nodded, not trusting his own voice. He was pretty sure there were a million questions going through his mind like who was this guy and why was he on Fermat's computer, but before he got the chance to ask the blond guy walked away from the camera. Then he heard shuffling and mumbling in the background, not loud enough for him to hear what they were saying, but shortly Fermat appeared in front of the screen. The fourteen year old was rubbing his eyes and looked like he had just been woken up.

"M-morning Scott," Fermat said. "H-h-how are y-you this m-morning?"

"I'm fine, Fermat," Scott answered with smile. "By the way Fermat, whom was I talking with before?"

Fermat shifted in his seat, almost like he was uncomfortable to answer, but then a soft smile appeared on the boy's face.

"T-that's my f-f-friend and r-roommate Alan," Fermat said softly. "S-sorry if h-he said s-something w-wrong or i-insulted you in a-any way. H-he is s-sort of a t-trouble m-magnet."

"I heard that!" Alan shouted from the background. "And by the way it is not always intentional."

Fermat held back his laugh, but it was obvious that he was having a hard time keeping face. Scott was surprised over the interaction between Fermat and his roommate since he had never seen Fermat act like that with anyone other than possibly Tin-Tin. The normally shy fourteen-year-old was bantering and looked very comfortable around this roommate. And for once appeared to enjoy being at Wharton that didn't involve the excellent education. Which was why Scott became more suspicious and decided to take caution on Fermat's friend, since he didn't like the sudden change and what kind of consequences it would bring not only for Fermat, but also him and his family.

"So how long have you known him?" Scott asked carefully. Asking things with care was not his strong suit, he was rather bold and direct about things he was wondering about, but he had learned from experience people tend to get defensive and shut him out. So for once he was going to follow the advice John always gave him whenever he got in a sticky situation.

"H-he transferred h-here a c-couple of m-months ago and w-we just c-connected I g-guess," Fermat replied and shrugged his shoulders. "H-he is a g-good g-guy, Scott."

Scott wasn't comforted by Fermat's words, especially since he got the distinct feeling that there was more behind the story than what Fermat was telling him, but he decided not to push it any more. So he nodded and changed the subject.

"Actually I'm going to be in the Boston area in a couple of days and I was wondering if there was anything you need that I can bring with me when I come up and visit," Scott explained. Fermat had a thoughtful expression on his face, thinking carefully over the question, but he quickly shook his head.

"N-no, I c-can't think of a-anything," Fermat said. He readjusted his glasses. " B-but I'm s-sure you k-know what I-I would n-need."

"Right," Scott smiled. "Then I will come up at the school this weekend and then you can tell me all about your experience here at Wharton."

Fermat smiled and promised that he was expecting him, but before they could say anything else Fermat's roommate interrupted and told Fermat they needed to go to the dining hall otherwise they would not get any breakfast before class. Scott and Fermat exchanged quick goodbyes and turned off the camera chat.

It left Scott alone in his room, leaning back against his chair while thinking over the conversation. His appointment with Jem and Fermat was settled and he should be happy over making it work, but his mind was occupied with other questions. He was happy for Fermat gaining at least one friend at the school, but they seemed far too different to be interacting with each other. Then there was also the fact that Fermat had not even mention this new roommate/friend before. Which left a hanging question in Scott's mind. Why would Fermat be so secretive about this friend?

* * *

Other than the surprise call from Scott this morning, the rest of the day went as usual with Alan getting into a verbal discussion with one of the teachers again and got detention as punishment for having a big mouth. Fermat was glad that his friend's head-butting had lessen to at least one or two teachers per day, even though he was entertained whenever he saw Alan making quick-witted and sarcastic remarks against people who tried to dominate and control him, he really didn't want Alan to get in too much trouble especially when he knew that his friend was a clever individual that could do anything if he put his mind to it.

Anyway after getting through the day's classes and his club hours, he almost crashed straight into the bed once he got back to his dorm room after dinner. And without much difficulty he fell straight into a deep sleep and didn't wake up until he was waken up by scream. The scream itself wasn't too loud, but it certainly had taken him by surprise and woken him up despite the fact that he was normally a heavy sleeper. He opened his eyes and turned to see Alan sitting up straight in his bed, shaking and sweating out of control. He shifted in his bed and was just about to ask Alan what was wrong when the blond jumped out of bed and hurried off to the bathroom.

Fermat didn't waste time getting out of bed and followed his friend in to the bathroom. He was surprised to find Alan hanging over the toilet bowl, puking his guts out. He turned on the lights in the bathroom to get a better look at his friend, who looked like almost haunted and was basically he terrified out of his mind. He had never seen Alan like this before, so scared and vulnerable that it almost hurt him to watch.

"Fermat?" Alan said confused. He had finally stopped vomiting and realized that he was watching him. "Sorry, did I wake up? Please go back to sleep. I'm fine now."

Fermat knew that Alan tried to push him away and let him to deal with his problems on his own, but he wasn't having it. His friend could be as stubborn as he wanted to be, but there was no way he was going to leave him alone in the bathroom especially when he was in this state.

"W-what happened? D-did you h-have a n-nightmare?" Fermat asked distressed. "H-has this h-happened before?"

Alan didn't answer any of his questions, but he didn't need to. Because his silence only confirmed what he suspected. It was then Fermat truly got a better look at his friend's appearance.  
"Alan, w-what is o-on your h-hands? As w-well on your b-back?" Fermat pointed out, failing to keep his composure. On Alan's hands were two large scars seemed to have pierced through his hands, meanwhile his back was covered with multiple scars. Some of them were small, but others were huge and certainly old. All the scars Fermat could see told him that Alan had gone through painful and terrible experiences, but he also to notice that those injuries had happened a long time ago and most likely from the time before Alan had lost his memories.

"You know what they are, Fermat," Alan sighed. Alan ran his right hand through the wet and sweaty hair. "And before you begin pitying me or whatever, I didn't want you to know about my scars and nightmares because I'm ashamed, okay?"

Fermat blinked his eyes a couple of times. He didn't pity Alan for what had happened to him or the fact that he was having nightmares. No if there was anything Fermat realized after finding out about this was that Alan was even stronger person than what he assumed he was, going through that sort of pain and endure it, while he still managed keep that sun-warming smile on his face around him.

"I-I don't p-pity you," Fermat comforted. He sat down on the floor next to Alan and turned to look at Alan, whom had his gaze focused on the bathroom tiles. "Y-you just s-showed me that you are e-even a s-stronger person than w-what I r-realized."

Alan didn't say anything, but his breath was panting. Then he shook his head like he was trying to dismiss his words and couldn't believe that what he was saying was true.

"I'm not strong, Fermat," Alan admitted. "I just pretend that I am in order to survive, but in reality I'm terrified for the nightmares I'm having. Because every time I close my eyes I begin to see a man hurting this kid both physically and mentally, and I wait for the moment where the kid finally breaks and only becomes an empty shell of himself. And though I can never see their faces, but I know that kid is me, and I'm terrified that some day I'm going just break."

Fermat nodded. It wasn't surprising that Alan would gain some of his old memories, even if they were only breadcrumbs that only appeared in his dreams. However he didn't want Alan to live through whatever happened to him again, especially when it was already causing him more than enough distress and hurt. What Alan needed and certainly deserved was the chance to start over and have a normal teenage life.

Neither of them said anything, but Fermat had pulled Alan in his arms in order to allow him to release those feelings he had been desperate to keep hidden inside. Alan froze by the sudden action, but quickly relaxed as he began sobbing on his back. Tears were dripping on his pajamas. Fermat ran up and down Alan's head, whispering in his ear that everything was going to be okay and somehow it had a calming effect on him. The sobbing began to lessen along with the tears and Fermat could hear Alan murmuring thanks and sorry in his ear. It warmed his heart to hear those words; it truly showed how much he mattered to his friend. They were so different, yet they truly cared and needed each other. And nothing made Fermat more proud and honored to be considered a part of Alan closest circle. Which was why he treasured their friendship and was determined to always be there for him. The same way he knew that Alan would always be there for him.

* * *

It was already Friday afternoon when Jem was sitting alone by a table at his favorite old-fashioned diner, waiting for Scott to for once in his life make it to a scheduled appointment with his old friend. He tapped his foot impatiently against the floor, while keeping his arms crossed on his chest. Despite the fact that his friend still had some time to show up, he had serious doubts that he would show let alone remember that they had scheduled a meeting to catch up.

He sighed and leaned back in his seat. He knew that he shouldn't be so hard on Scott, after all he too had a demanding job and it wasn't exactly easy just to drop everything. However he being friends with Scott proved to be quite some task when the guy is always so busy with either his mysterious job or his even more mysterious family, who he had never seen or met in person. Then again he was any better, since Scott have never seen or heard about Alan either.

"Sorry, I just finished an errand for my dad," Scott said, interrupting his thoughts. "Have you waited long?"

Jem shook his head and a happy smile appeared on his face before he got up his seat to give his friend a hug and clapped his back. Then the two men sat down and ordered two cups of coffee from the waitress. It didn't take long before the waitress came back to their table and served their coffee and then moved back to her other customers. Jem took a sip of his coffee and then placed the cup on the table and looked at his friend.

"I almost expected that you wouldn't show up," Jem stated, while he began fingering with his coffee cup. "But I'm glad that you are here. I missed you, and I'm dying to hear what has been going on with you the last couple of years. So start talking."

Scott laughed by his directness, but he didn't hesitate telling him about his family and his job for his father's business. However over the course of the conversation he began to notice how Scott didn't give him very much details about his personal life like what exactly he did for his dad or what he normally did whenever he wasn't working other than working on airplanes, but that wasn't something new about Scott. Even back when they were on the Air Force together his friend was very pretty secretive and cautious to reveal anything remotely personal, but who could blame him when he was son of one of the biggest billionaires in the world?

"How about you?" Scott said, redirecting the conversation back on him. "Anything going on with you? Something at work or new girlfriend perhaps?"

Jem snorted about the girlfriend comment. He was focused on his job that having a girlfriend wasn't much of a priority, and besides he didn't have the time since he was dedicated to spend his spare time with his friends and family. Then there was also the fact that his job wasn't a lady magnet, especially since his job was dangerous and didn't have the best insurance that he would always come back alive.

"Nah, no girlfriend," Jem answered. "I'm usually busy with either my job or keeping my family in line and out of trouble."

"What? Is Haley in some kind of trouble?" Scott asked surprised. Jem wasn't taken back by his friend's surprise since Haley was normally very nice and never got herself involved in anything dirty, at least knowingly.

"No, it wasn't Haley I was talking about," Jem replied. Suddenly he felt his shoulders become heavy. He had really hoped that he could ease the topic about Alan in the conversation, but it seemed fate had other plans and decided now was the best time to tell his friend about the other addition in his family. So he sighed and continued the conversation. "Scott, about four years ago Haley and I took in a kid, who was from what we knew orphaned and didn't have anyone who could take care of him. So instead of letting him go into the foster system we raised as our younger brother."

Scott blinked his eyes a couple of times, processing what exactly he was hearing before he exclaimed, "You have a brother! And you didn't tell me!"

Jem frowned about the accusation, but he wasn't going to point out that it was kind of difficult to talk about Alan in a random conversation especially when you haven't been in enough contact to tell about it either.

"Yeah, his name is Alan and he is sixteen," Jem continued explaining. "Pretty much the biggest trouble magnet you can find, but he is amazing Scott. He is so smart and talented it almost scares me, and both Haley and I are incredibly proud of him despite his reluctance to show his abilities. "

Scott smiled by his bragging, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. Jem stopped talking and looked closely at his friend, who had this sad and haunted look in his eyes, but he couldn't understand what exactly he was sad about. Was it something he had said?

"Sorry," Scott shook his head. "I was thinking about something else. Don't worry about it. But I'm glad that you found happiness with this kid, you deserve to be happy."

"Thanks," Jem replied. "He makes me happy, even though he drives me insane most of the time by getting into trouble and questioning my authority. He attends Wharton Academy right now and it seems to have calmed his troublemaking ways a little."

"He goes to Wharton?" Scott wondered. "Does he happen to be a long haired blond with cocky attitude?"

Jem was surprised how Scott jumped to that conclusion, especially since it was correct description on Alan."

"Yeah, how did you know?" Jem asked baffled. Then Scott began explaining how a family friend's son attends the same school and was apparently a close friend to Alan as well as how Scott ended up meeting Alan. The conversation continued for a while before they ended up changing the subject and began reminiscing the good old days back at the Air Force. And before he knew it the distance between him and Scott seemed to have grown shorter and it was almost like having his friend back.

* * *

"A-are you s-sure this is s-such a g-good i-idea?" Fermat stuttered. "I-I mean, what if y-you get in t-trouble?"

"Come on, Fermat," Alan said with a complaining tone. The two of them had just gotten off the bus that stopped in Boston, a couple of blocks away from his family's apartment, and was walking towards the apartment. "I won't get in trouble, especially since it is Friday night and the school allows students to visit their family during the weekend. Besides I want you to meet my family and I'm pretty sure both Jem and Haley are going to like you as much as I do. Probably even more than me."

"B-but what a-about Scott?" Fermat tried to argue. "H-he is g-going to s-show up at the s-school tomorrow."

"Don't worry, Fermat," Alan shrugged. "I promise that Jem or Haley will drive us back to the academy in the morning, just to make sure that I continue staying there and don't try and run off."

Fermat still didn't look entirely convinced, but Alan was getting tired of convincing him especially since he had done that from the moment he had suggested to bring him home and introduce him to his family after the whole 'bathroom incident' a couple of days ago, and through out the entire bus ride to the city.

"Look, just trust me," Alan said annoyed. He was almost stomping on the pavement when he and Fermat turned around the corner. "Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise to bring you back safe and sound. But first we need to pick up some food, do you like Chinese?"

Fermat nodded tentatively and Alan led them to the Chinese restaurant where he and his family always picked up take-out whenever their schedule was too busy and none of them had time to cook.

Alan entered the restaurant first, followed closely by Fermat and quickly gave the worker behind the counter their orders. Since there were not many people in the restaurant the duo decided to wait and entertained themselves by chatting and laughing about random and insignificant topics. Once their orders were up Alan grabbed the take-out bags and paid for the food. However it was then the doorbell began shimming and a group of people entered the restaurant. Despite the fact that he had his back towards the newcomers, he could immediately sense the sudden change in the air. Something was going to happen, something very bad. It was then he heard it, someone whistling the melody "Ode to Joy" with taunting arrogance. Alan froze up and the bad stomach feeling hit it like a knife. He was afraid, no wrong word. He was terrified because he knew this person who was whistling, he might not remember the man due to his amnesia, but that didn't stop him from knowing that whoever this person was he was dangerous and he needed to get him and Fermat out of there. His suspicion was only confirmed when the whistling stopped and the deep taunting voice said, "Hello, Brat. Did you miss me?"

**.**

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**Sorry for taking so long updating this, but after working almost non-stop on this and my other on-going story in March I needed to have a little break from writing. Hopefully you will like this chapter, since it is now I'm beginning to work up the suspense and get on with the story. **

**I wanted to point out that if I don't update this story again this month then you might have to wait a while before my next update, since in last days of May I will be having my exams and I will probably use the entire month practicing for the exam. But I promise that once I'm done with my exams I will be updating again and probably more often giving the extra time I'm going to have. **

**Anyways thank you for the reviews, favorite and followings and please, and I mean please continue doing so. Hopefully I get to update this story soon, but if not then my message above explains why. But until then...**

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	6. Memories

**5\. Memories**

Alan didn't turn around or try and acknowledge the man, but his face betrayed him as it held a terrified expression. Fermat nervously turned his gaze back and forth between his friend and the man who was standing there with his henchmen beside him. The man was big and muscular built. He was bald and had a hooked nose that made him look even more intimidating, but the trait that scared him the most was his eyes. His eyes were dark and hollow, it was the kind of eyes that could haunt you and give you nightmares. The situation made Fermat feel uncomfortable and wanted nothing more to leave, however he was certain about one thing. Something was wrong, it didn't take a genius to know that whoever this person was Alan was spooked by him. He saw the signs other than his facial expression, there was the shaking hands as well the fact that he had been clenching and unclenching his hands like he was trying to control himself. Then he realized the man had expressed familiarity with Alan like they were old friends or acquaintances. However he was pretty sure they were neither of those two things based on how they reacted to each other.

"Well, don't you have anything to say to me, Brat?" the man said with arrogance. "Last time I checked it used to be quite a problem to keep your mouth shut, especially when you disobeyed."

Alan still didn't reply to the man's comment, but this time he took a big breath before he turned around to face his acquaintance. His face was strong and hard, not a single sign of emotion. Fermat almost frighten by the emotionless expression on his friend's face, because not once have ever seen Alan being remotely disconnected and cold towards someone. Alan was pretty much a headstrong and hot-tempered person like a burning fire, but he was also caring, loyal and warm that pulled people to him and make them care about him. So it seemed so out of character for him to be cold like ice.

"If I had anything to say to you I would have already, but I don't so will you leave my friend and I alone," Alan replied. His hands and back was leaning against the counter, keeping his hands out of sight, but Fermat noticed that Alan was doing something behind his back. However he didn't have the best view to see exactly what he was doing, but before he was about to ask he was interrupted by the man's taunting laugh.

"Come on, Brat. Don't be like that," the man replied with fake concern. "It's almost like you haven't missed your old friend, Vinnie."

Alan didn't answer, but he didn't have to because the answer was obvious that he hadn't missed Vinnie one bit. That was something Fermat found strange since based on what Alan had told him, he had no memories from his past, but it was possible that something Vinnie had done had triggered Alan's memory making him remember something. Fermat wanted to ask, but now was obviously not the best time to ask so he kept his mouth shut and continued to stay on the sideline.

"I'm going to ask again, please leave my friend and I alone," Alan said. He glared at him like he wanted to choke him or something. Then he whispered to Fermat, almost impossible for to hear exactly what he was saying, but somehow managed to get the message, "When I give you the signal, run out. I will be right behind you and make sure you wouldn't get hurt. Okay?"

Fermat nodded hesitantly, not completely sure about the plan, but he didn't get the time to argue or think about it when Alan in quick movements approached Vinnie.

"Run!" Alan exclaimed. He leaned downwards towards Vinnie's left leg and stabbed him in the leg with a fork that had been on the counter and he had hid behind his back. Fermat took the hint and ran as fast as his legs could carry him; meanwhile Alan covered him by swiftly attacking Vinnie's goons using his knees and elbows. However once he managed to subdue them long enough he too escaped and followed after Fermat out of the restaurant. He could hear someone yelling after them, but he didn't stop or turn around to see if his assumption was true. When he and Fermat turned the corner, he began frantically searching for a fast way of escaping.

"W-w-what was t-that? W-who was t-those men? A-and what d-did they w-want with y-you, Alan?" Fermat said with panic. Alan's eyes were searching around until he found a car by the sidewalk that was perfect getaway vehicle.

"I don't know what is going on," Alan said sort of strained. He kept thinking back about what had happened in the restaurant. Although he didn't know what was going on, but he was starting to gain an immense headache and it was only pure determination that stopped him from grabbing his head in attempt to smooth the pain. "But I think…it has something to do with my forgotten past, but I don't know what exactly. What I do know is that we need to get away before they catch up to us, because I don't need my memories to tell me these guys are dangerous."

They walked over to the abandoned car. Alan looked inside his pockets to see if he had something he could use to unlock the car door. However it looked like he was out of luck, mostly due to the fact that Jem and Haley had searched his pockets last time he was home in order to make he didn't have or bring something that could be considered dangerous or used for criminal activities. They were overprotective and sore of paranoid when it came to him, but then again he was known for getting in trouble so the precaution was pretty given.

He ran his hand through his hair and looked around to see if Vinnie and his goons were approaching, but they were still a quite distance away. However it wouldn't matter much if they couldn't get out of there, so what were they going to do?

Alan asked Fermat if he had something to pick the lock, but the boy shook his head and promptly said that no one carries equipment for locking picking around. Alan of course didn't tell him that he normally carried such equipment instead he picked a big rock from the ground and wrapped it around his jacket sleeve before he slammed the rock against the car window. Glass shattered and the car alarm was turned on. Fermat exclaimed in surprise over what he had just done, but Alan didn't really listen as he carefully unlocked the door and opened it from the inside before he moved his hands and disconnected the wires that was connected to the car alarm.

"Get in," Alan said as he slipped into the driver seat and unlocked the car door by the shotgun seat. Fermat stared at him with big eyes, but flustered entered the car and took the seat next to him. It was then he saw Vinnie and his goons just a few feet away and was approaching them fast. And he didn't waste time to hot-wire the car, which he managed to do on the first try, and started the engine. He stepped on the accelerator and drove as fast as he could away from the scene.

* * *

Jem looked at the empty screen of his phone in concern. Alan had told him that he was coming home along with his friend and would call him once they were home with dinner, but it has been almost an hour since he expected the call and was now worried if something had happened to his little brother.

"Is everything all right?" Scott asked with worry, interrupting his concerned thoughts for moment. He turned to look at his friend, trying to appear calm and collected, but he knew he was already failing when he tried to reassure Scott that he was fine.

"You know, I'm an older brother and I can tell the signs when someone close to me is trying to keep something from me in order to protect me," Scott said wearily. "So what is going on?"

Jem was mentally arguing with himself what he was going to tell his friend his concern or not, but he figured that since Scott had three younger brothers he would be understanding and helpful about his concern.

"I don't know if I'm being paranoid or just a huge worrywart, but Alan hasn't called me yet," Jem explained. "He promised me that he would call me once he came home with dinner, but he is one hour late. And I guess I'm worried he has gotten himself in trouble or something."

"Hmm…I can understand your worry," Scott said thoughtful. "But it also could be something innocent that he is delaying him, like the bus running late due to an accident or long line to order food. So lets just wait a few minutes and then try calling him. From what I have experienced younger brothers seek their independence and doesn't want to feel obligated to report every single thing that is going on with their lives."

Jem nodded, but he wasn't reassured the least by his words. Alan was stubborn and independent individual no doubt about that, but he wasn't one to break promises and he would have called if there was something delaying him. He could only hope that everything was all right.

* * *

"A-are you i-ins…c-crazy?" Fermat exclaimed as his hand held on tighter to the car door. The whole situation was insane and out of hand as he had no clue why these men were following after them and Alan was driving like a professional motor racer, but with crazy love for speed. In other words he was in the middle of a huge car chase and he had no idea why other than that their interest was on his blonde-haired friend, who explained to him that he didn't know them but had somehow something to do with his past.

"It depends on who you ask," Alan shrugged his shoulders. He made another sharp turn to the left that made Fermat easily lose his balance and fell to the left side. "But in my personal opinion, everyone is crazy to some degree. Those guys behind us is probably past some degree and jumped to completely insane."

Fermat stared at him, surprised to see this weird calmness Alan showed like this situation with the car chase and all wasn't strange or unusual for him. However that was stupid because no matter how much trouble Alan could get himself into, there was no way he could have been involved in something like that but then again based on what he had seen earlier when Alan broke into the car and his exceptional driving who knows?

"B-but are y-you c-certain that you d-don't know w-why they are a-after you?" Fermat asked. "B-because they w-wouldn't be a-after you for n-no r-reason."

Alan sighed deeply and said tiredly, "I'm telling you, and even if I did know them I don't remember it. My memories are completely erased and the only thing I can recall is from the time I woke up in the hospital four years ago and up till now."

Fermat frowned. It didn't make any sense, what was is about Alan that was so important for these goons that they needed to use force in order to get him?

He was about to ask when all of a sudden a great force collided into the car. The sudden impact took both him and Alan by surprise, which ultimately made Alan lose control of the wheels, so the car spun around and was facing the front of the car where Vinnie and his goons was occupying.

Now panic was overflowing both of them and the two boys screamed in fear and shock like a couple of girls, but neither of them cared at the moment since they were face-to-face with these lunatics and Vinnie was practically glowing and smirked by their reactions. However Alan snapped out of it quickly once he saw Vinnie gloating like a fool and took control of the car once more and began driving in reverse. Alan turned his head back and forth to see what was going on in front of him as well as what is going on behind him. The speed was increasing rapidly and Fermat grew more and more worried about their safety, but then his watch began to ping loudly and he looked down to see what it was about. It was call from John and it was at the worst timing too, damn this wasn't going to be fun.

"H-hello John," Fermat answered the call through the intercom button. "N-now is n-not the t-time."

The picture of the older blond on the screen showed that John frowned by his reply, but was also confused and asked, "Why? What is going on, Fermat?"

"U-um…" Fermat didn't know what to say, because honestly the situation sounded like it came straight out of an action movie, though he had to say that the movies were much better than real life. No wonder really, because in real life you get killed and die, while in the movies you are safe and sound on the couch. How he envied to be near a couch right now and definitely in a car being chased by these maniacs.

"Fermat, who are you talking to?" Alan interrupted and took a quick gaze to see him talking to John through his watch. "Cool device. Will you let me tinker with that later? I wonder how it works."

"N-now is n-not the t-time to a-admire my w-watch," Fermat exclaimed annoyed at Alan. "E-eyes on the r-road and t-try not and k-kill us."

Alan rolled his eyes, but it was purely in a joking manner and his eyes focused back on the road. Meanwhile Fermat went back to his conversation with John, who definitely looked worried now after hearing what he and Alan had just said.

"Fermat, explanation right now!" John said with authority, already lost his patience as his concern for his wellbeing was overpowering his patient and collected self. "And who were you just talking to right now?"

"Y-you see m-my friend Alan and I-I are b-being chased by these l-lunatics," Fermat started to explain, but he wasn't sure how he was going to continue seeing as he had no clue how and what was going on other than they were in danger.

"What do you mean chased by lunatics?" John asked strained like he was trying to maintain control over his temper. John might be the most calm and collected brother of the Tracys, but he had the same temper as the rest of them. It was probably even more fiery and dangerous to be around than Scott, who had the worst temper between all of them. Either way Fermat didn't want to be caught in the receiving end of that temper, so he gave him the clip notes of what had happened without giving him many details as of Alan's possible involvement with these lunatics prior to him losing his memories.

"Okay, I'm tracking you right now," John said seriously. "I will inform the authorities, so hold on tight until they get here. Understood?"

Fermat couldn't do anything except nodding before ended the conversation and turned off the intercom button. Then he turned to look at Alan was about to ask him something, but suddenly something crashed into the car from his side and suddenly everything turned black.

* * *

What a fool he was to fall for such a simple attack. Vinnie and his goons had deliberately crashed into them from the side with such a force that could have easily killed had he not managed to take some kind of cover along with Fermat. It was only pure luck that they managed to survive, but then again Vinnie had not planned on killing him since it was obvious that he needed him alive. However that didn't mean Vinnie had not been able to wound him or Fermat in his attempt either, since when Alan opened his eyes everything was at first very hazy around him. Then he felt this immense headache that was even worse than before and something was dripping from his head and down to his cheek. It was probably blood, which could mean that he had sustained a head injury and possibly even a concussion, but that didn't matter to him right now. His first concern was first and most Fermat, who was bleeding from a cut on his forehead.

"Fermat," Alan said in order to check if he was conscious or not, but he was unfortunately unconscious and wouldn't awaken no matter what he tried. His concern only grew as he took a closer look at his friend's injuries. Due to the car's impact from the crash Fermat's right leg was stuck between the smashed glove compartment and the blood had this blackish color that could lead to something serious if it wasn't dealt with quickly. But the exhaustion hit him hard, so he could barely focus long enough to concentrate on calling for help. Still he had to do it or else Fermat could maybe lose leg or worst lose his life. So he used every ounce of his will power to retrieve his cellphone and pressed the familiar 911 and waited for someone to take his call.

"911, what is your emergency?" the monotone voice of a woman said. Alan was breathing heavily as he felt his eyes dropping by the minute.

"Please, help us…my friend and I were in accident and…he is unconscious and bleeding badly from his right leg," Alan tried to focus and make the sentence seem understandable, but by now his eyes were already closed and was on the brick of losing consciousness again.

"Please, sir, will you tell us where you are?" the woman said and still managed to keep her voice monotone like a robot.

"We are…" Alan murmured the description of the location; being unable to remember the name before his surrounding disappeared and was replaced by the darkness.

* * *

The ominous feeling had not evaporated and Jem was seriously worried if something had happened with Alan, and when he received the phone call from the hospital where Haley worked at, asking him to come down to the hospital immediately, the feeling only amplified. When he asked them what had happened they only informed him that Alan and his friend Fermat had been caught in a car crash. Once he heard those words it was like the world around him had frozen still. Alan had been hurt and was now in the hospital, how cruel was fate with him? Had not the kid been through enough? Did he really deserve more pain, especially considering how much he suffered in the past?

Scott, who was walking him back to his apartment, looked at him with worry and asked him what was wrong. It was then he felt guilty because he had to deliver the bad news about Fermat as well and if he remembered correctly, which he was certain he was, there is no way Scott was going to be calm about this.

"That was the hospital," Jem said sadly. "Alan and Fermat has been involved in an accident and based on what they told me they are badly injured."

Scott's blue eyes turned into two huge spoons hearing those news, and almost immediately demanded him to take him to the hospital. Jem didn't argue about as they grabbed the first taxi that was available and asked the driver to take them to the hospital as fast as he could. And during the entire drive to the hospital Scott called his family and informed them about the news while Jem tried to call Haley, but it was in vain since she was most likely occupied by work and was unable to answer the phone. Still he was rest assured that Haley would hear about the accident soon enough and would find him as soon as she knew, so instead he prayed to the universe that everything was going to be all right and that nothing was going to happen to Alan, because if he did he wasn't sure how he and Haley were going to handle it. Alan was the only family they had apart from each other and he was sort of the glue had was holding the small family together, and if something were to happen to Alan the glue that held the family together would disappear and leaving them only with grief and loneliness.

* * *

Alan woke up by the sound of the beeping from the machines that was hooked into his left arm. His surroundings weren't as hazy as before when he first woke up and now the boring sight of his hospital room was clear enough to make him wish that he were not in this room at all. He hated to stay in the hospital due to the fact that it always reminded him of the day when he woke up without any memories before his awakening. Thinking back on how empty and lifeless puppet he used to be when he first woke up. The feeling was even more frightening to remember, it was even to the point where he didn't even remember the pain on his hands because of the reopening on his injuries back then was simply just numb. Alan looked down on his scared hands, almost expecting them to give him an answer to his question, but as expected it didn't give him anything. However his head was starting ache horribly so he grabbed his head from falling too much forward by using his right hand and covered his eye. And then out of nowhere pictures flashed through his mind, it was almost like watching a movie going fast forward.

_(Flashback)_

_His cheek burned by the thick and hard hand, which was so powerful that he lost his balance and he fell down on the floor and with pure instinct placed his own hand on the wounded cheek. Then he turned to look up at Vinnie, who exclaimed at him in fury, "How dare you disobey me! In order for you to live you need to master these abilities and fulfill your duty as a being part of the Golden Cobra."_

_He glared at the bald man, hating him even more than before, while Vinnie continued his rant._

_"__Don't think you can escape your fate, brat. No one is going to save you, because no one cares about you."_

Alan was breathing heavily and was greatly confused what was going on with him. Was that a memory? But as he thought this, another flash pierced through his mind.

_(Flashback)_

_He had just finished yet another life-threatening trial that consisted in him dodging traps, picking locks, sneak past security systems, and break into almost any location. He knew they were testing him, seeing how far his abilities went, and even though he didn't understand why he was doing what he was told there wasn't many other choices. It was either go through with it or get killed, and he was far too stubborn to die despite all the pain and hardships he dealt with on a daily basis._

_"__You truly are a diamond in the rough," the cat man smirked. "Soon you will become the perfect and the greatest thief to ever exist. And then you will learn other abilities for you to even to become the greatest criminal for man to ever know, history will be written about you and the Golden Cobra. Nothing is going to stop us."_

_"__The Golden Cobra?" He asked with a strong and yet strained voice. _

_"__The greatest criminal organization in the 21__st__ century," the can man grinned his infamous catlike smile, which frighten him even more than anything. "Now show me the limits in your abilities."_

_Then the pain and the hardships started over again. Blood and sweat was covering his entire body and the whole time all he could think about was if it was true that he could never escape the personal hell he was living every single day._

Unconsciously tears were streaming from his eyes and down his cheeks before they finally dripped and soaked the plain white bed sheets.

"I…I was a thief?" Alan said shocked. "Part of the Golden Cobra?"

He realized that those flashes must have been one of those locked memories that he was starting to remember now. However what he didn't think about when he used to wish to be able to remember was that those memories he had forgotten had been too painful for him to bear to remember, so when the head injury happened at some point he must have wished to forget because he didn't want to remember the pain and those people again. But looks like lady fate loved screwing him over whenever she got the chance, allowing him to remember his past now of all times.

The door to his room opened and one of the nurses found his current state and quickly became concerned if he was feeling pain or was suffering other injuries.

"Honey, are you all right?" Nurse Reynolds, who was a woman in her late forties with a few strains of gray in her honey colored hair. "Do you feel pain anywhere? Would you like some painkillers to ease your pain?"

Alan simply shook his head, unable to voice his wishes due to the instant shock of those few memories he finally remembered, but then he snapped out of his shock and remembered what happened to him that landed him to the hospital.

"Wait, my friend…the boy that was with me," Alan said frantically. "What happened to my friend? Is he all right?"

Nurse Reynolds nodded and smiled reassuring at him and confirmed that Fermat was still alive and was currently unconscious after he received surgery for the injured left, which if it had been left untreated could have wasted away and he could have lost his leg completely, other than the leg Fermat's injuries were simply a few cuts and bruises and should be healing quickly. Hearing that he let out a deep breath he had not been aware he had been holding, but he was simple to grateful and happy that his best and only friend was still alive and was going to be okay.

"Do you think I could see him?" Alan asked innocently, hoping that she would say yes. However when he saw her face turned dejected he already knew his answer, and it wasn't the answer he liked either.

"I'm sorry, dear, but only family can visit him," Nurse Reynolds replied. "You can visit him as soon he is feeling better and can handle more company."

She left him shortly after that, promising that she would check up on him later, but the moment she closed the door after her Alan pulled the bed sheet away and carefully took out the tube in his arm like Haley had showed him before he began taking tentative steps towards the door. It might be a stupid idea to move around after just waking up from a car crash, but his determination and willpower to see Fermat was greater than anything. Nobody was going to stop him from seeing Fermat.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Finally released the latest chapter after two months of silence from my end. I'm sorry for the wait, but I have been busy with school, other stories and life itself. Now that vacation is here I hope I will be able to update this story a lot more often, but I wouldn't go make any promises until I'm completely sure. Anyways thank you guys for the response I have been receiving, but please show more support since it is sort of a downer to see how few people appreciate my work and effort. **

**Two songs has inspired this chapter. The first one is for the car chase, and the song is Hey Driver by _Lucky Boys Confusion. _The other song is Memories by _Within Temptation. _Both songs are great and makes me feel different kind of emotions every time I listen to them. **

**And for other news, I had earlier published the first chapter of a TB story called _Whispers in the Dark_, which I later deleted due to the fact that I felt it was still incomplete as well as the fact that I wouldn't have been able to update the next chapter for a long while and I didn't want you all to wait. So if you guys are still interested to read the story, then give me a word and I will re-release it. **

**Anyways please continue giving me reviews, favorite and/or followings. And I hope to update as soon as I can, but until then... **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	7. A Plan Set In Motion

**6\. A Plan Set In Motion  
**

Scott wasn't sure how to deal with his emotions. They were literally all over the place and were directed towards every single person. He was worried about Fermat who had survived the operation, which could have ended with him losing his leg if things had gone differently, and was currently in a hospital bed unconscious. Meanwhile he was furious at Alan, Fermat's friend who had been driving and put them both in the hospital in the first placed, and then he was exasperated with Jem, who stood there and tried to defend Alan's actions despite not knowing the real story behind it other than that Alan had been driving a stolen vehicle and past the legal speed limit.

"There is a reasonable explanation behind what happened," Jem stated. His arms were folded against his chest as he stared at him with strong and serious eyes. The strength and determination in his friend's eyes tricked him off. How dare he say such a thing? Fermat was like a younger brother to him, who had gotten himself into the hospital because of Jem's adoptive brother.

"How is anything in this situation reasonable? Your brother was driving the car, a stolen car I might add and was speeding. It is the perfect recipe for disaster," Scott said exasperated. He glared at him hard with fire in his eyes. "And honestly, Alan is the one at fault in this whole mess and I find no need for you to defend his actions."

Jem was sort of shocked hearing those words coming out from him, but Scott didn't care because he wasn't the one who had to call Fermat's dad along with his own to tell them how the fourteen-year-old boy had landed himself in the hospital. Still Jem seemed to have snapped out of the shock quickly and replaced it with frustration.

"Don't you dare lay all the blame on him!" Jem exclaimed. His arms waved dramatically as he continued his rant in defending his adoptive brother. "I don't know what had happened, but I'm sure that Alan had his reasons for doing this. He understands consequences of ones actions and he knows I would not hesitate to arrest him if he had truly done something wrong."

Scott didn't believe it, but he kept that opinion to himself and kept pacing back and forth waiting for the doctor along with Brains and his dad. Meanwhile Jem leaned against the wall, glaring at him and was definitely not letting the discussion go. However Scott wasn't going to change his mind about the situation and Alan in general, which is why he said quietly, "Once Fermat is awake and well, I want Alan to stay away from him."

That certainly got Jem's attention as his glare almost immediately changed into a shocked expression.

"What?"

"You heard me," Scott shrugged his shoulders. "I don't want the two of them to hang out anymore, Alan is clearly a bad influence in his life seeing how he acts with the people around him along with his troublemaking ways."

"But…" Jem tried to argue, but was instantly denied to do so by him as he continued his reasoning.

"And it is not for discussion," Scott said determined. "Alan is not to be around Fermat and that is final."

* * *

He pushed his right hand against the pinkish wall and used it to support himself before he continued down the hall. His body was exhausted from moving and his knees were at the edge of buckling down, but he didn't take much heed in it. While his body was struggling to keep itself together and his mind on the other hand going haywire as he kept getting a memory flashes, most of them involved him getting disciplined and beaten for his failure and disobedience, but it was hurting and scaring him to see how horrible his former life was. Based on what he gathered from his memories he had been trained all his life to be the world greatest thief and criminal, and apparently he used to be part of the criminal organization, Golden Cobra. However he still didn't remember everything that had happened or how in the world he managed to escape from that world, but if his memory kept coming back like it was doing now then it was only a matter of time.

When he came to the end of the hall he turned the left corner before he staggered back when he heard the loud shouting between Jem and the oldest Tracy son, who he remembered Fermat calling him Scott. He knew that he shouldn't be listening on their conversation, but his curiosity overruled his reasonable mind. So he listened to Scott shouting how it was his fault and that he should deal with the consequences etc. And honestly, he thought the older man was right in his accusations and he blamed himself for how his friend got mixed up in his messed-up past, but when Jem came to his defense something triggered another memory flash.

_(Flashback)_

_"__Please understand, Jem," An unknown man pleaded in his cellphone. "I messed up badly, I get that, but please if you don't want to help me then help Alan. He needs and deserves a clean break from his horrible life."_

_He didn't hear what this 'Jem' said, but based on how this man began explaining the circumstances around him and the Golden Cobra. Once he was done with the explanation it was suddenly quiet before the man's expression lightened up like a Christmas tree. _

_"__Thanks for doing this," the man said, ending the conversation and hung up the phone. The man let out a relieved breath and gave himself a small smile before the man noticed him standing at the door, looking at him with curious eyes._

_"__Did you listen in on the conversation?" the man smirked. He nodded shamelessly and approached the man before he sat down on the floor in front of him with his legs folded. The man only laughed and used his hand to ruffle the boy's hair. _

_"__You little rascal," the man said with a grin. He smiled at the man and felt oddly enough happy about receiving the care and attention as he did. _

Alan was taken back by the sudden memory as he almost landed on his ass due to the sudden shock. Luckily he caught himself from doings, not wanting to catch the attention from Jem and Scott as well getting caught on eavesdropping on their conversation. But at that moment he didn't care if he had been caught or not, the only thing that was on his mind was the fact that the truth behind the recent memory flash. Who was this unknown man in his memory and why did it seem like he trusted him? And could it be that Jem knew about his past? The memory itself didn't show or state that he did, but he did have a feeling that was the case. But if it truly was so then why had he not come forward with this before? Jem knew how having his memory sealed burdened him and made him feel incomplete as a person, so why would he go through so much trouble and simply hide it all away?

He didn't understand anything, but his confused was halted when he heard Scott's demand about him staying away from Fermat. Hearing those words literally shattered his world to tiny pieces and he wasn't sure what to do. A person who was a brother-like figure to his best friend didn't want him around in order to protect him from himself, which is why at that moment he wasn't going to stand around and listen to this anymore. So he stepped out from his hiding place and walked up to Jem and Scott, feeling a sudden energy despite his exhausted body, and directly confronted Scott by saying plainly, "Is that was you truly want? For me to stay away from Fermat."

Both Jem and Scott was shocked by his sudden appearance and his blunt accusation, however Scott caught himself quickly as his gaze was turned straight at him meanwhile his eyes became hard and stern. Still the moment Alan had truly looked into Scott's eyes it was hard to explain it, but he felt like he had seen those eyes before just couldn't remember where. However he shrugged this feeling away since he could have seen those eyes in a picture or something, so instead he waited for Scott's responds that he didn't need to wait long for since he had apparently push the older man's buttons.

"That's right," Scott replied with a barely maintained temper. "I don't want you to be around Fermat any longer since it was because of you that he is in the hospital in the first place. And because he got hurt, it is my responsibility to keep him safe and frankly I don't feel like you can keep him safe based on your actions today."

"What about Fermat? He is his own person, he should be allowed to decide who he want to see, especially when you try to control him," Alan said annoyed. He really hated when people tried to control and giving him limits to how far he could go, which is why he got off the wrong foot with the authority as well as Jem and any other adult who tried to tell him what to do.

"Don't try and talk your way around the issue," Scott sneered. "Right now what Fermat needs is not to get involved in your troubles, which you clearly have after you, and I'm sure that Fermat's dad will support my decision along with my own dad. So stop trying to trying to turn Fermat into a juvenile delinquent like you, because that boy has a bright future and he doesn't deserve to have it tainted by your influence."

That last comment certainly hurt him in more ways than he could ever describe, however he wasn't willing to show Scott how much his comment had hurt him so he kept his gaze down on the floor. Meanwhile Jem reacted on his behalf in a clear hurt and frustrated tone when he yelled out, "Scott! That's enough! You have no right to say those things to him and expect us to be accept you saying such things and deny Alan to see his best friend!"

Scott huffed by Jem's exclamation, but didn't give any indication about changing his mind. Then they continued fighting about him and the entire situation, ignoring him and leaving him to himself. So Alan stood there and thinking through the argument and began to realize that in his overprotective and odd way Scott was right. With his past, his forgotten memory returning and the recent trouble developing Alan was probably the last person in the world who could protect his best friend and family from everything. All he would do was taint the lives of the people he cared about and he didn't want them to get hurt because of him, which is why he made the most difficult decision he would ever make his entire life.

"Fine," Alan murmured. At first he wasn't sure if Scott and Jem heard him correctly, but when their fighting suddenly stopped he knew they had heard him so he continued. "I will stay away from him. I will disappear from his life if that is truly what you want, but I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it to keep him safe, even if it hurts me tremendously, I will do it because I care deeply about my best friend. However I have one request before I do so."

Scott's eyebrow rose in suspicion and wasn't sure if he was willing to listen and allow the request or not, but apparently decided to at least listen to what he wanted before making his final decision.

"All right, what is your request?" Scott asked warily. His arms unfolded and were placed on his sides, waiting impatiently to hear what he wanted.

"I request to see him one last time, in order to explain things as well as telling him goodbye," Alan explained. "Will you please be kind to allow me this small request?"

Scott went quiet and had a thoughtful expression on his face, like he was weighing the options and consequences before he made his final decision.

"Okay, when he wake up you can go and see him one last time," Scott decided. And Alan almost light up like a Christmas tree hearing those words until he heard the rest of Scott's decision. "However it will only be for a few minutes and after that I want you gone and away from his life, got that?"

Alan's face fell, but he nodded sadly to the decision. Jem looked shocked and most of all sad about the whole thing, but didn't say anything since he knew that his mind was already set and wasn't going to change it no matter what he did or said about the matter. So Alan sat down on the closest available chair near Fermat's room and began waiting for the boy to wake up and had to deliver the toughest and the most heartbreaking news he ever had to say to the one of the few people in his life.

* * *

Fermat was for obvious reasons confused when he woke up and found himself in a hospital, and didn't remember immediately how he had ended there in the first place, but then the accident came back to him and the confusion changed to worry about Alan. The last thing he could remember before the crash was Alan driving and then everything turned back. He was worried if Alan had gotten seriously injured or ended up dead, which saddened him even more if it was true, however his questions was answered when Scott came and was relived to see him awake and alive. He asked the older man what his injuries were and when would his dad arrive, and Scott replied almost immediately that they all were on their way and everything was going to be fine. Then he left to inform the doctor and his dad about him being awake, leaving him alone his room once again. However his solitude didn't last long before someone very familiar entered the room and sat down on the chair next to his bed. Fermat was glad to see his friend was okay, but based on Alan's facial expression something was bothering him and was weighing heavily on his shoulders.

"W-what is w-wrong?" Fermat asked concerned. He tilted his head slightly to the left in a questioning manner and kept a calm demeanor as he waited for Alan to explain to him what was going on and why he looked like some skimmed the meat out of his sandwich.

"Because of what happened and how I'm the responsible behind it, I have been asked to stay away from you from now on," Alan said with a heavy heart. "Which I accepted even though it hurts me greatly to do so, but I do it because it is the only way to keep you safe."

Fermat was shocked and sad to hear this, although he can understand why Scott and the rest of his family had suggested this, what he couldn't understand is why Alan would agree with it that easily. He had half-expected the guy to fight tooth-and-nail until he got what he wanted. Something else was going on and that is the main reason why his best friend was trying to pull away from him.

"B-be honest," Fermat said softly, almost comforting. "T-there is s-something m-more behind t-this, i-isn't it?"

Alan didn't say anything, but he nodded his head with a sad face before he began explaining that his memories have been starting to return to him, about his forgotten past and how his past is seemingly coming back to haunt him and that he doesn't want him to get dragged into the mess. Fermat realized as he listened that Alan was just as honorable and protective as the Tracy family, how they had these certain values about the ones they cared about and was willing to do anything to make sure others were safe and sound.

"S-so this is g-goodbye?" Fermat said sadly, not even bothering to hide his feelings on the matter. He was sad to lose his only best friend because the world and everyone he cared about thought that Alan was a dangerous threat and would get him in trouble or in other dangerous situations like this one.

Alan gave him a small smile and placed a gentle hand on the top of his hand for a moment before he let it go and left the room without saying anything more, however what no one would have noticed was that he had slipped a tiny note above his hand. A message?

Fermat's curiosity was peaked as he picked up the note carefully and unfolded it to read what is said and why he didn't try and inform him about the content while he was still in the room. And the note said:

**I'll contact you, please don't act suspicious or differently from your otherwise routine life. **

**See you soon,**

**A.**

Fermat smiled as he read the note again. Alan was a sneaky little fox, no wonder why he thought it was odd how easy Alan gave up, but at least he wasn't breaking up their friendship and that was enough for now. The door knocked once again and Fermat in one motion hid the tiny note underneath his bed sheet before he gently allowed whoever was on the other side to enter the room. His next visitors was his dad followed by Mr. Tracy, Scott and his doctor and then this day continued with being informed about his condition and how his injuries would effect his daily life, which was thankfully not much, but during the entire time they all were in his room all he could think about was when Alan would be taking contact with him. After all he was curious as to how much he could help him retrieve more of his memories and help him through it all.

* * *

Somewhere in an unknown location, a man was sitting in the shadows watching the car chase through the traffic cameras and was laughing sinisterly over how much his prodigy thief was causing trouble for them, even before he knew who they were, however that was typical attitude from the Ghost. And apparently a few things had changed these four years apart, but it was reassuring to see the essential tings about him still remained and made him a valuable asset to the organization. His laughter seized when the door into the room opened and a very familiar man entered room, limping with his foot like he was a one-legged pirate.

"Good job, Vinnie," the man said without turning to look at his right-hand man. "I assume everything is going according to plan?"

"Y-yeah," Vinnie replied, his tone relayed signs that he was in pain, which was obvious since he was stabbed in the leg with a fork as a 'nice to see you again' gift from the little Ghost. "But what I can't understand is why we left him alone for four years, we could have taken him whenever we wanted to before, so why get him to come back now?"

The man smirked. Vinnie was useful in many ways, but he was more the brute in the operation, not the brain like himself. Still his questions was justified, however he wasn't interested in sharing why exactly he had not tried to retrieve his golden goose before. What mattered now was to get back what truly belonged to him, but he needed to test out his abilities further as well return the young teen's forgotten memory. He had gotten the access to the Ghost's hospital records from four years ago when he first woke up after escaping out of his grasp, and he learned that his memory had been completely sealed regarding the people in his life, which was a good thing seeing as he couldn't take the organization down. Anyways he needed the young man back in their custody since he was ready and had jobs lining up for him to do. They could no longer wait around.

"All in due time, Vinnie. All in due time," the man reassured him, while giving him the hidden message to drop the questions for now. "Now we have to arrange the second part of the plan."

"Yeah, but again I have to ask why do it this way? Couldn't we just have taken the Brat, it would be a lot easier for us and lose time," Vinnie argued. This time the man figured that he would answer that question, since he needed to at least know something before he did that part of the plan.

"There are several reasons, one of them is to test out his abilities and make him realize his true potential," the man answered. "But in order for him to do that we need to give him an incentive to come to us willingly, remember how difficult and disobedient he was back then? He is most certainly like that now and would no way go along with anything we throw at him, but if we gave him an incentive we wouldn't have to use force to get him back. All we have to do is wait for him to come to us and then he will try and negotiate a deal in order to protect the thing he cares about."

Vinnie nodded, understanding what he was trying to tell him. The man smirked over this as he pulled out a photo from his jacket pocket and handed it over to Vinnie. The picture was of a young short boy around thirteen-fourteen years old with dark brown hair and blue glasses. Standing next to the boy was a young man with long blond hair, who was taller than the boy, smiling with pure happiness. The man turned his back once again to look at the screen where the ambulances arrived and dragged out the two boys from the picture out from the crashed car.

"Are you prepared for what is to come, Ghost?"

* * *

_Three months later_

The breeze was playing with his long locks as he sat down on the beach, watching the sunset while music playing through his earplugs. The music varied as his taste in music was a totally mix between old and new music as well as classical and rock. And like now he was currently listening to Run Kid Run's song, _Freedom_. How strange that he was listening to a song about freedom he didn't really have despite his recent decisions that would have given him exactly that from a bystander's point of view.

After taking his 'farewell' with Fermat back at the hospital, he had taken Jem aside to confront him about if he really knew about his past and didn't tell him about it. At first Jem was all confused and didn't understand what he was talking about, that is until he revealed the fact that he was starting to remember his past and that he remembered some unknown man saying his name, asking for him to help him get a clean break. In the end Jem confessed that he knew all along about his past and let's just say the result of this realization was catastrophic.

_(Flashback)_

_"__How could you keep this from me!" Alan exclaimed in fury. He and Jem were in his hospital room and were currently fighting about this big secret that the one of few people in his world kept from him. "You know how screwed up I was when I first woke up in the hospital without a single memory that could tell me who I was and everything surrounding that. I needed to know and you kept it from me!"_

_Jem tried to give him a reassuring hand, but he slapped the hand away and took a few steps away from him. He was unable to look at him, especially when he learned that his father/brother figure had hurt and betrayal him in the worst possible way. How in the world was he supposed to be all right with that?_

_"__Listen to me, Alan," Jem began explaining. "When I was first asked to help you and take you in it was our intention to give you a chance for a normal life. Get a fresh start to be who you wanted to be without your past to stop you from being yourself. So when you woke up I made the decision to keep the little I knew about your past a secret when I learned about your amnesia."_

_Alan clenched his hands, while trying really hard not to go through with his urge to hit him in the face. He was angry, hurt and betrayed by all of this and honestly he wasn't sure how he was going do deal with it. The only thing he knew at that point was that he didn't want to be around Jem or Haley, who obviously didn't feel that they could have trusted him to know the truth. _

_"__It doesn't matter anymore," Alan said hard. "You betrayed my trust, Jem. And with everything that has happened I can't deal with it with you or Haley around. So once I'm out of the hospital I'm going away somewhere I can figure stuff out."_

And during the last three months he has spent his time working part-time jobs since he dropped out of Wharton Academy in order to fulfill his part of the promise to Scott that he would stay away from Fermat, even though he had been in contact with Fermat since the accident by not being physically in contact with his friend. He had promised to stay away, but he had not promised to cut all contact. Either way it worked to his advantage, his and Fermat's friendship remained strong. Without anyone interfering and judging that they were spending time using e-mail and text messages.

The sun had already set and the dark was about to appear on the sky, which signaled him that it was time for him to get back to the apartment he had been renting these last few months. So he stood up, brushing the sand off his clothes and began walking back to the apartment, which wasn't too far from the beach. The song had long ended and switched over to another song, however he was barely registering the music in his ears because when he arrived to the front door of his apartment he found the door wide open. His inner alarm went haywire and he knew something wasn't right about the picture in front of him.

So he entered the apartment with caution and noticed someone had broken the lock by forcing the lock open. It seems whoever entered his apartment wasn't afraid that he would call the cops, but he shrugged his shoulders and continued further into the small space that combined his living room and kitchen together. The place looked pretty much undisturbed except for the large duffel bag on his coffee table with a tiny paper on top of it. He knew it might not be smart to see what was in the note and in the duffel bag while there was the possibility that the intruder was still in the apartment, however something told him that wasn't the case seeing how he didn't see, hear or feel anyone else's presence in the apartment. So he approached the duffel bag, picked up the note without reading it and opened the bag. And what he found inside caught him off guard. Inside the bag were money piles like they had been sort out in the bank recently, and the amount wasn't spare change money either, he assumed it was around two million dollars in the bag.

"What the hell?" Alan said confused. That was a new twist; intruders enter people's apartments to leave being a bag filled with cash. Something was definitely wrong with this picture. His suspicion was only confirmed when he took a look at the note and read the message, which said:

**Vacation is over, Ghost. **

**The game has already started, and I hope you are prepared for what is coming for you. **

**Your prize is waiting for you…**

The note was signed with a drawing of gold snakehead. Alan knew then who had broken into his place, but he couldn't understand why they would go through all of this just to inform him that they wanted him back. They should know that there was no way he would go back to them willingly, so why the vague message? It began to sort of dawn to him what was going on once he began realizing the true meaning behind the message, when all of a sudden an unknown voice shouted out, "FREEZE!"

Alan froze automatically. With his back turned he couldn't see the person behind him, but he knew that it was a cop. And if that was the case then that cop's partner wasn't far behind to back him up. He swore mentally to himself how stupid he could have been to fall for such a simple trick. This whole thing was a set up, and even though he didn't know what he was set up for, but whatever it was the Golden Cobra was behind it and he was taking the fall for it.

"HANDS UP!" the same cop yelled out. He did what he was ordered to do, knowing far too well that things would only turn ugly if he didn't cooperate. Then the cop grabbed his hands and he felt cold metal around his wrist, which could only be handcuffs, before the cop turned him around.

"You are under arrest for kidnapping Fermat Hackenbacker," the cop said exasperated. Hearing the charge Alan turned his head to look at the cop with a shocked and mostly confused expression on his face.

"What!" Alan exclaimed. "Fermat's kidnapped? And you think I did it?"

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**Thanks again for the response I have been receiving, and I hope you guys like this chapter. For those of you who are reading my other TB story, _Whispers in the Dark_, the next chapter will hopefully be out on Monday. And for those of you who haven't read it, check it out and maybe you guys will like it. **

**I will disclaim ownership for the song Freedom, which was mentioned in the story. The owner of the song is Run Kid Run, which is a great song despite being a Christian song (something that I'm definitely not). **

**Anyways please continue review, favorite and/or follow this story, and the next chapter will be out as soon as its written and done. **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	8. A New Level Of Ridiculousness

**7\. A New Level Of Ridiculousness **

Don't ask him how it happened, because honestly he had no clue. One moment Fermat was approaching the school gates after spending the afternoon on a school trip at the local art museum and the next thing he knew everything surrounding him vanished into darkness. When he woke up he found himself with his hands tied, mouth covered with duct tape and was lying on a hard ground. The room was barely lit and he couldn't make any clear estimate of where, what or who was in the room, but he didn't have to be a genius to know that he was definitely at Wharton anymore.

As he thought this, someone began humming the familiar melody _Ode to Joy _and then he realized who had taken him.

"You're awake," Vinnie said, after he stopped humming and turned away from whatever he was doing. "The boss will be pleased to hear about it. You would be no use to us if you died, after all you are the thing that will keep our blond-haired friend motivated to find and rescue you."

His words confused Fermat greatly, but he really didn't have the chance to think about it too long because Vinnie started to walk closer to him. Fermat sat up like he had been stunned before he tried to move away, for several and reasonable reasons to do so, but for each movement he made backwards resulted with Vinnie taking more steps forward. Once his back felt the cold and hard surface of a metal-covered wall he knew that he had no more options to keep a great distance from this man, who had caused so much trouble that resulted with Vinnie putting him and Alan in harms way and hospitalized three months ago. He could still remember Alan's fearful expression during the first meeting, so he knew that he had to be more cautions than ever around this man.

The sound of a door being opened and closed took his attention as he couldn't really see this other person due to the conditions of the room, however he could hear him perfectly. Whoever had entered the room was light and quick on his feet, almost catlike, and continued taking quick strides over to Vinnie while keeping his appearance unknown to him.

"So you are Mr. Fermat Hackenbacker, the son of Prof. Raymond Hackenbacker, fourteen years old, student at Wharton Academy For Boys," The unknown man stated with a well-informed and confident voice. Meanwhile he was shocked to hear some stranger know so much about him, especially since he was not as high-profiled as the Tracy family. So it didn't make any sense how or why this person knew so much about his background, but then he thought about it and realized that they must have done a very deep background check on him and most likely Alan's as well since he was the person of interest in this situation. "I do have to say I don't understand why Alan would find you interesting, someone he trust and is loyal towards and would do everything to protect and fight for, but then again Alan has always been defiant and disobedient towards us. Even though we were the ones who raised and took care of him."

Even with his mouth covered, he was simply speechless. These people had raised Alan? It was almost impossible to imagine how these people had a role in his best friend's life, especially due to the fact that these men were psychotic, which was the exact opposite of Alan's strong and kind-hearted nature. Sure, his friend was reckless and had is crazy moments, but that was innocent compared to Vinnie and this strange man.

"I really don't understand it either," Vinnie replied. He rubbed his left leg, the exact place where Alan had stabbed him during their first meeting. "That brat was overprotective and didn't try to cause a fight with me, even though I ticked him off, his main priority was to get away and keep him safe from me."

The man didn't say anything, but he didn't really have since Fermat could feel his gaze on him like he was looking straight into his soul in order to figure out everything about him. He felt violated and almost shivered in fear, but in the back of his mind he remembered how both the Tracys and Alan had advised him to not show how scared and frighten he was in his enemy's presence. That way they couldn't try and take advantage of his fear and use it against him or others who cared about him.

"You will be happy to know Mr. Hackenbacker that you wouldn't have to be in our company for long," The man explained. "However it depends on how fast and clever Alan is in order to find you and until then you will stay with us. During your stay I have a couple of rules I expect you to follow, and if you don't then I can assure you that you will be punished, do you understand?"

Frantically he nodded his head, thinking that it would be in his best interest to cooperate for now. He could figure a way out or at least how to simplify the situation later, but until then he had to play the role of the scared kid that he was.

The man didn't show it, but his voice indicated that he was pleased by the willingness to cooperate, probably because he expected that he was like Alan who was far too stubborn and determined to do anything someone else told him to do unless he found it reasonable, before he continued and began listing up his conditions.

"You will follow the orders that is given and you will not try to make contact with the outside world nor will you try and make any escape attempts. And if you break any of these rules then you will be punished harshly and if you don't take my word for it then you just have to remember the scares on Alan's body that should tell you how serious I am."

Fermat's eyes widen by the thought. Those painful scars he had seen on Alan's body was proof enough that these people weren't joking about harming him if he tried anything. And he would be of no use to anyone, especially Alan if he was hurt, so he nodded understandingly and agreed to the conditions that was set for him. Both Vinnie and the unknown man left the room shortly after that, leaving him alone with his confusion and unanswered questions. Whatever this was about, one thing was certainly clear and that was that Alan was of great importance to them based on how they talked about him and that they were willing to do drastic measures in order to retrieve him. Fermat could only hope that his friend knew what was going on and that he would come and help him as soon as possible, but he was concerned about his best friend's actions in order to reach the goal.

* * *

This was a new level of ridiculousness. Honestly, how in the world did they come to the conclusion that he was guilty for kidnapping Fermat? He could be crazy and reckless, sure, but he wasn't a functioning lunatic unlike his former co-workers and the organization. Besides other than the fact that he was being pinned for kidnapping, the FBI was handling the situation, so he wasn't sure if the situation could get any worse. Unfortunately it could when the local brought him to the federal building, took away the personal affects he had on him before they stuffed him inside an empty interrogation room.

"Honestly, can't they figure out that this is clearly a set up to pin me," Alan grumbled to himself. He was sitting on one of the chairs in the room with a metal table between one another. His hands were cuffed, limiting him from doing too much movements with his hands, but the main reason for the handcuffs were to restrain him from trying to something stupid. Not that that was going to stop him from doing it, but he would at least go along with it for now.

The door opened and two FBI agents entered, a man and a woman, and the woman sat down across from him meanwhile the man remained standing and was leaning against the wall and kept his gaze on him like he was a perp.

"I'm Agent Monroe and this is my partner Harrods, and I must thank you for dropping by, Mr. Shepard," The dark-haired woman or Agent Monroe replied with politeness and authority, with a slight hint of sass in her voice. "I hope that this isn't an inconvenience to you."

Alan had to force himself not to roll his eyes, "No problem, I mean I just love being arrested and being brought to the agency for no reason." His reply was sarcastic and rude, but at the moment he didn't care seeing as he was not responsible for kidnapping Fermat and they had definitely brought in the wrong guy. However based on her voice and both of the agents body language told him that they truly believed that he was guilty and that this interrogation was only a formality at best.

Agent Monroe blinked her eyes a few times, like she was trying to understand what exactly he had just said before she coughed in an awkward manner and continued the conversation. "It is of no reason that you were brought down here." She was about to continue her speech, but he interrupted her since he was too frustrated and angry about the whole thing to listen.

"I know why you brought me here," Alan sneered. "You think I kidnapped Fermat for some godforsaken reason, but I will be straight with you I didn't kidnap him. What reason do I have to kidnap my best friend? Absolutely nothing!"

He was almost tempted to stand up from his feet to convey his emotions even more, but Agent Harrods glared at him in a way that told him that if he tried to do so then the agent wouldn't hesitate to bring him down and shut him up. Meanwhile Agent Monroe sighed wearily and fidgeting with the pen she was holding and used to make notes of the interrogation.

"Correct me if it isn't true, but according to your personal background you were lost in the system until you were twelve years old and were taken in by the Cassidys," Agent Monroe stated. "And from what I gathered neither your adoptive brother or sister come from or have a huge income financially, both working for the government and receive a small paycheck, which would make your financial situation very limited."

Alan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did these people think that he would kidnap Fermat and ask for ransom due to his family not so large economy? Sure, the occupations of being a cop and a nurse didn't exactly pay enough and they couldn't exactly go on trips like normally families did or live in luxury like those snobby rich people did, but still it didn't matter to him that they didn't have those opportunities because he knew how hard they worked for their money and would try and compensate the lack of money with alternative solutions. Jem and Haley had given him so many memories the last four years that is filled with joy and happiness by doing simple things as taking him to a baseball game or teach him about planes and how to fly them. Money could never replace that and definitely not motivate him to do criminal act in order to obtain it, especially if you look away from his more criminal past. Fermat was worth far more to him than what money and riches could offer him and there was no way he would do such a thing to his best friend.

"Let me tell you something," Alan was furious, even though his voice was oddly enough calm and collected. However his eyes were burning in fury as he glared at the two agents with his powder keg temper that was just about to explode. "I may not come from the wealthiest family, but don't think for a second that I would stoop so low and sell out my friend for money. I have a conscience that tells me right from wrong, and I will be straight with you and say that my conscience is clear and I have absolutely nothing to do with this. And even if I did I would never do it for something as insignificant like money."

* * *

Sitting by her desk sorting through her files, Agent Anna Farrell sighed wearily over the never-ending paperwork. She and her partner Agent Emerson were a strong duo of FBI agents and had many solved and accomplished cases behind them, so she had expected that they would be given the high-profiled kidnapping case, but oddly enough it was given to the snobbish Agent Monroe and Agent Harrods.

"Do you know why we were cut of from that case?" Agent Farrell asked her partner, who was sitting on the desk next to hers and looking like he was bored out of his mind. "I mean why were we not given the case, especially since we can get the job done and not care about who the victim's family is."

Agent Emerson shrugged his shoulders and said, "Probably because it happens to be someone close to the legendary Jeff Tracy, ex-astronaut and billionaire of Tracy Enterprises, we are talking about. And the boss thinks that the snob-duo is a better option to deal with this seeing as both they come from rich background."

"But that's…" Agent Farrell tried to argue, but her partner quickly waved his hand nonchalantly and continued saying, "I know it sucks, but who are we to discuss and argue with the big boss?"

Agent Farrell growled annoyed over how unfair the whole situation was, and then she decided to take matters into her own hands. So she grabbed the phone and before her partner had the chance to convince her to do otherwise she called up her boss and demanded to get back her case and if he didn't give it to them she would do the most unthinkable and quit the agency and he would lose two of the best agents for something frivolous as this. And with that said her boss reluctantly gave in, but made her promise that she wouldn't outstep her boundaries, seeing as it was still the snob-duo's case. She thanked him and hung up the phone.

"You know you can be very scary sometimes," Agent Emerson stated matter-factly, which she responded by shrugging her shoulder in a careless manner and opened up the file on her computer that explained the kidnapping case.

The kidnapping victim was a son of an employee and close friend to Jeff Tracy, Fermat Hackenbacker, who was taken from his school after returning back from a class trip. Apparently the case developed like any other kidnapping case with the whole money-ransom thing and drop sites. Mr. Tracy paid the random and followed procedure to a 't' as they tracked the signaled back to the suspect of the crime, Mr. Alan Shepard. However here was the part where things didn't make any sense to her. Based on the records Fermat and Alan were roommates and friends at Wharton, where the latter ended up quitting three months ago and stopped contact with the boy. So what caused the sixteen-year-olds actions to change so deliberately? And why would he go to such measures?

"What do you think?" Agent Emerson asked after he was done reading the cliff notes of the case. "According to this, it should be a simple and shut case."

She nodded her head, even though her expression didn't appear to be convinced. She leaned back in her chair, "It seems too quick and easy for my taste. I remember when I was a teenager and nothing was as neat and clean as this, and I was a geek back in high school. No, I think I'm going to have a chat with our suspect before I'm making my definitive conclusion."

She stood up from her seat and began heading in the direction of the interrogation room with her partner right behind her. His excuse was that he had to make sure that she didn't try and punch the two agents in frustration because it was no surprise that she despised them. She rolled her eyes in annoyance, but didn't bother to argue about his comment because he was pretty right on the spot about it anyways, so why bother deny the truth?

* * *

Alan wanted nothing more than to punch these two agents just for the sake of them getting some common sense, which apparently the both of them were lacking in great numbers. They continued going on and on about all the evidence pointing towards him and how his motive for taking his best friend and placed him in an unknown location because of money.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I did not take my best friend in order to get a huge paycheck," Alan argued once more, but was met with deaf ears.

"Our evidence…" Agent Monroe tried to argue and explain to him, but at that point he was too frustrated and angry to listen to this nonsense any longer.

"I'm stopping you there, seeing as I'm still a minor and know my rights," Alan glared at the two agents. "I asking for a lawyer or my legal guardians to sit in on the interrogation and I'm not talking to you anymore."

He shut down the interrogation completely, pressed his arms against his chest since his hands were tied and unable to fold before he leaned back in his seat with a smug expression on his face. The two agents looked taken back by his words, obviously not realizing that he had a point. Then again they probably thought that he was some stupid kid who didn't know his own rights, but based on what Jem taught him and his many trips to the police station he learned his rights. Although it seemed easier to issue it here in the federal building than back at the station, but then again he didn't have to deal with Jem biting his head off for doing something stupid unlike this where he was innocent and was being set up by his old crowd. And he had tried to explained that to the two agents, leaving out a few details especially involving him, but they didn't believe him and wasn't bothering to look for any new leads. So why in the world he make their job any easier if they refused to listen to what he had to say and for once take it seriously?

The two agents just scoffed before they gathered their notes and left the room with the promise to get him a lawyer or at least retrieve Jem and Haley. Once the door was closed behind them, he let out a relieved breath he didn't know he had been holding in.

"This couldn't be more horrible," He muttered to himself. His gaze moved around the interrogation room, thinking of possible escape routes from the room as well how things were going to resolve themselves seeing as things weren't looking good at the moment. "And if things doesn't change, then what am I going to do?"

That was a good question, but he knew that he had to do something in order to get Fermat back. However doing so would mean that he would have to return to his past ways and play the game that the Golden Cobra had set for him, but the thing was that no matter how simple the challenge would be nothing as smooth and easy as it would seem. There is always a catch to their demands; more importantly there was always something more with their plans than what appeared to be.

And as he thought this, the door opened again and another agent informed him that his lawyer was here to speak with him. Alan found it strange how fast that lawyer arrived, but he didn't say anything and nodded his head as a signal to allow the lawyer in. Moments later he found himself stunned to see it wasn't a lawyer, but Vinnie dressed in a formal suit and glasses. His body just froze to be in the present of his main torturer, but he kept his mask straight and waited for the agent to leave and allowing them to talk in private. Vinnie sat down on the chair where Agent Monroe had been sitting before and sighed exaggerated, "You had me worried there for a second brat, I would have thought you spilled your guts and told them everything. Nice to see you still hold some loyalty to your old crew."

Alan glared, "Loyalty has nothing to do with it, and shouldn't you worry about the fact that there is a camera and wires in this room that record everything?"

Vinnie shook his head nonchalantly, "Nah, I got that covered. It seems like there are some technical problems at the moment, the whole system is down and wouldn't be up and running for some time. Funny, right?"

His eyes grew harder and angrier and said with an exasperated voice, "Cut the crap!"

Vinnie chuckled by his stoic and angry voice, god knows why, and answered, "You still got that edge of yours, seems to me I have some work to do once you join us once again. We can't have you running your sharp tongue around. "

What in the world was his intention? Was the whole kidnapping and setting him up as a ploy to get him back? Nothing made any sense to him, if that was the organizations motive then why go through all that trouble and hassle for his abilities?

"I have no intention of joining you," Alan replied curtly. "Now let Fermat go, he has nothing to do with this. Your beef is with me, so leave him alone or else I will have to show you how serious I am."

This time Vinnie laughed like a hyena and leaned back in the seat to cover his stomach because he was laughing so hard that it hurt. Meanwhile he continued to glare at the man with annoyance and wanted more than ever to beat the crap put of him, but as the conditions were like they were he would be at the disadvantage and most likely beaten to pulp.

"Sorry, brat, but your friend is necessary in this plan of ours. The game has already started and the boss expect you to go and retrieve your prize, which is in this case that scrawny friend of yours."

Just as he expected then, it was a ploy to get to him and they must have realized that Fermat was one of few things in the world he cared about and was willing to do anything in order to keep him safe. And now because of his friendship, he had managed to put Fermat in even greater danger.

"Where are they?" Alan asked, getting straight to the point and was unwilling to waste any more time seeing as it seemed he didn't have much of another choice.

"Can't tell you," Vinnie replied and stood up from the chair. "Boss thought you were clever and good enough to figure that on your own, but he was considerate enough to give you something that could help you start on the right path."

He pulled out his suitcase and laid it out on the table, without giving him the chance to see what exactly was inside. However whatever he assumed the man would give was exactly what he didn't expect to get from him, because Vinnie pulled out an empty syringe and a colorless liquid, which was contained inside a tiny flask that could fit his pocket.

"What in the world is this for?" Alan exclaimed as he picked up the flask and held it up against the lamp to see something strange about the liquid, which he didn't, and set it down on the table again. "Or better question, what is it?"

"Relax, it is just something that can be used to knock someone out for a few hours," Vinnie answered lightly "Just in case, and with that I will take my leave. Good luck, brat, you are going to need it."

Vinnie left shortly after that, but Alan had taken a notice of the limp the man that was caused by his attack. He almost felt proud that he managed to do so, but then guilt started to nag him. Even though Jem and Haley weren't there to reprimand and yell at him for thinking so, they had done a good job in helping him developed a conscience, which appeared even during times he wished he wasn't guilty about like now.

Anyways once Vinnie was gone and he was alone in the room he came to a decision, seeing as no one was going to take his words seriously and was going to try and catch the real bad guys in this mess it all seemed to be up to him. However his priority would be to find Fermat and get him back safely to his father, he had no intentions of joining the organization again and if he had any side-plans in this then it would be to take them down for good.

So once his mind was set he lifted his hands and began searching through his long hair locks to find a bobby pin to pick up the cuffs. He always hid a pair of bobby pins in his hair, which would be covered by the extra layer of his hair, just in case he ever came up in situations that required him to pick on locks. And besides cops or in this case federal agents wouldn't normally do a search for personal effects on the hair that weren't in plain sight, which is why the cops never found the pins. It took a while, but he found them and pulled them out carefully before he moved the pins and began picking up the locks on his cuffs and while he did this, he continued planning the next few steps of his plan and escape from the agents and the building. After all his next opponents would be the entire herd of federal agents, who would arrest him the moment he found out he was out and was fleeing from them.

* * *

Jeff Tracy tried desperately to calm down his friend, Brains, who was pacing back and forth in distress and concern for his son, but his attempts were in vain and honestly he could understand why. If anyone had tried to kidnap one of his sons he too would be pretty out of it.

He and Brains were in a conference room along with his three sons, Scott, Virgil and Gordon, while his second oldest son John would meet up with them later once things back on Thunderbird 5 was cleared. Anyway they all were waiting anxiously to hear from the federal agents about how the case was going and when they would have Fermat back, hopefully alive and well. They had dropped everything, including International Rescue for the sake of getting the young boy back, which no one would have argued about once they first learned the news seeing as the boy was just as part of their family as all the Tracy sons were. And they wanted nothing more for the boy to return to their side and wanted those responsible for this would be punished for their crimes.

The door opened and two agents entered the room, introducing themselves as Agent Monroe and Agent Harrods, and they all sat around the table to discuss the case further.

"Have you found Fermat yet?" Jeff asked straight to the point. He decided to take control over the situation seeing, as Brains were pretty emotional and unable to stay objective and in control at the moment. No one seemed to be arguing with him, so he continued and had his gaze on both of the agents. "Any suspects in custody?"

"We don't know the whereabouts about the young Hackenbacker, but we do have a suspect in custody," Agent Monroe explained. "Hopefully soon we will get him to talk and then all of this will be over and everyone can go home."

Although her words were meant to be reassuring, there was something that didn't sit well with him, but he wasn't sure what exactly. After many years of dealing with various types of people he had learned to read them well enough, but based on both of the agents body language they were expressing that they were holding something back, something that was possibly an important piece to solve this situation.

"Can you tell us who the suspect is?" Jeff said with a mix of curiosity and demand in his voice. His arms were folded against his chest and waited patiently for the answer.

"A friend from Wharton Academy, Alan Shepard, does that ring a bell?" Agent Harrods intervened. His question was leading and it was clear that they already knew the answer, but wanted their confirmation anyway.

"O-Of….yes," Brains answered quietly. "Fermat s-spoke highly o-of him, b-b-but I can't u-understand why h-he would d-do this?"  
Then the agents went on about Mr. Shepard's financial background and how his motive for kidnapping was like any other kidnapping an attempt to get easy money. This surprised both Gordon and Virgil, while Scott only frowned and looked ready to kill the boy himself. Jeff was almost certain that Scott didn't like Fermat's friend very much, especially after what had happened three months ago. Jeff never met the boy personally, but while he could understand Scott's anger and frustration he also thought that the thing was blown out of proportion and it simply was an accident.

And as he thought this, out of nowhere a loud alarm began to ring through out the building. Jeff noticed that the agents turned shocked between one another, not looking worried like the building was about to burn down, but more worried about someone has done something wrong, which he often saw whenever Gordon pulled out a prank. The agents immediately leaped out of the room in quite a hurry and quickly reassured them that nothing was wrong and that it would be best for them to stay there. And before neither of them had a chance to argue the agents were gone, leaving them alone in the conference room with confusion and concern on their faces. What in the world was going on?

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**Thanks again for your response. I hope you guys like this chapter, now at this point things are going to escalate and become more action and suspense-packed. So please don't give up hope on this story despite how long it took to get to this point. **

**Anyways please continue giving me reviews, favorite and/or followings, and the next chapter will be out as soon as its done. **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	9. Take Back What Is Mine

**8\. Take Back What Is Mine  
**

Fermat was simply staring incredulously at his captor or who Vinnie had called Boss. The man was an enigma, impossible to understand what he was thinking let alone trying to do with him and Alan. However the man had taken great measures in order to kidnap him and set up this 'game' for Alan to come and rescue him again. So who was these people and why were they going through such lengths just to get a hold of his best friend?

Alan hadn't been very into details regarding explaining his past, only giving him cliff notes about what he remembered since he didn't have all the facts that supported whatever theory he suspected his past involved around. Still didn't take a genius to know that his life had involved criminal activity as well as violence due to the physical abuse he received by these people. And that his best friend was a very valuable asset to them and that they would do anything just to get him back even kidnap him and frame Alan for kidnapping him in order to get him to do it.

The man was sitting behind a desk, looking at the monitor in front of him meanwhile Fermat sat against the wall not too far away from the desk observing his environment as well as the man who was apparently the mind behind the whole operation. It was a fancy old home office, similar to the ones you found in British films with bookshelves and Mahoney furniture. However it worked more as a surveillance room than a home office. However Fermat wasn't at all interested in his captor's interior decorator skills, instead watched the man laugh hauntingly over whatever he was watching. Once the man noticed his gaze on him, his expressed changed similar to what a sneaky cat would look like and said, "It seems our friend in common has once again taken a reckless and hasty action in order to escape. Brilliant, but reckless and risky should he get caught by the federal agents."

Fermat didn't say anything, not that he could anyway since his mouth was covered and his hands were still tied. Still man continued talking to him like he actually could talk at the moment or probably guessed his thoughts by looking at his facial expression.

"Don't worry, Alan is too good to be caught by lowly agents, who has no idea what they are dealing with. Soon Alan will be on his way to you, but he need to find the clues that he needs to locate us. And the federal building is the best way to get on the right path."

Even thought he said that in reassurance, Fermat didn't feel the slightest reassured about it at all. Whatever this man had planed for Alan it would only end with that the life he created for the last four years would shatter into pieces, seeing his actions could and most likely would lead him to do criminal and illegal methods in order to get to him. The thought that Alan could end up hurt, imprisoned or dead because of him, made him just sick to his stomach. He wanted nothing more than tell Alan that he wasn't worth destroying his life, but at the same time his selfish side wanted his best friend to come and get him. He was afraid of these people, but he was more terrified for his friend's sake on what would happen to him when he finally got here.

* * *

Once he removed those damn handcuffs, Alan quickly moved his gaze around the interrogation room in order to spot the video cameras watching him. He found one easily enough since it was just hanging there at the corner of the ceiling above the glass mirror, which everyone that has ever watched a police procedural knew was actually a observation room. Apparently the agents thought it was just smart enough to have one camera in here, but then again it worked out for his benefit. Needless to say, he had to cover up the camera in order for them not to know right away that he was busting out of there. So he pulled down the zipper of his blue sweatshirt and threw it over the camera, that way the camera lens was covered up. Then he was facing with the question how he could leave this room, since the door had an automatic strip clock that allowed people from entering and leaving the room. Normally he could have worked out a creative solution to pick that lock, but right now he had limited with time as well as tools and materials. He was well aware that it was only a matter of time before someone would come back and by then he definitely couldn't be in here, so he had to think fast. What was he going to do?

He turned around, looking at the two chairs by the table behind him before his gaze moved on the mirror glass. It was one possible solution. Crazy solution, one that would definitely be loud and give away his escape, which would definitely get him in trouble or worse get him in prison, but it was a possible solution to get out. Who was he trying to convince? It was his only solution since time was an important essence in this whole plan of his.

"I'll definitely be grounded for life for this," Alan muttered to himself as he went to retrieve one of the chairs. "But for Fermat, I'll do everything. And besides it's just another notch on my list of trouble and grievances."

Then in one moment he grabbed the chair and lifted it up in the air before he walked towards the glass. And before he had the chance to convince himself to do otherwise, he slammed the chair as hard and as fast as he could and threw it against the glass. The mirror glass shattered into pieces, revealing it was in fact observation room on the other side of where the mirror had been. However due to his action the alarm had been activated and loud noises began drumming through his ears. Nonetheless, Alan quickly grabbed his sweatshirt and pulled it off the camera before he jumped out the broken glass window and began running as fast as he could out of there, while hoping and praying he had enough time to get as much information he could about the Golden Cobra before the federal agents caught up with him.

* * *

The idea that nothing was wrong was thrown out the window the minute the two agents hurried out of the room, leaving them sitting their agitated and confused over what was going on. Jeff tried to keep control over the situation, despite the fact that he had absolutely no clue what was going on and how to keep control, especially when Scott looked like he was ready to jump into action. Which caused a similar reaction from Virgil and Gordon, something they definitely didn't need at the moment.

"We might be able to help!" Scott shouted in order to voice over the loud alarm that was practically overpowering their voices, making it impossible to talk normally. Jeff shook his head and shouted back, "It is none of our business, Scott. And even if it was I'm sure these agents an handle this on their own, considering the fact they are trained for this sort of thing while we have a totally different kind of training."

He didn't have to explain what kind of training he was talking about, knowing fully well that Scott and the others knew that he was talking about their rescue mission training, but that wasn't the reason why he didn't say it out loud. It was rather the fact that he wasn't sure if this room they were located in didn't have video cameras and audio on whatever was going on and what was said. Either way he didn't want to take any chances and risk exposing International Rescue's operatives' real identities. Not that he didn't trust the federal government, he did, but it was just that he and the others had gone through such lengths to keep it a secret. So why bother exposing themselves to federal agents, who didn't have any business knowing at all? Their job was to get back Fermat safe and sound. And that was all they needed to know about them.

Scott's face frowned by his answer and when he tried to argue, Jeff instantly stared him down to stop him from continuing this conversation. Thankfully his son did what he was told and held his tongue, more due to the fact that they both knew that he wasn't going to change his mind and would most likely reprimand him for disobeying an order. And if there was one thing Scott hated other than not being able to protect and hover over the ones he cared about, it was that disappointed people for things like not following a direct order.

So they all sat there in silence, waiting for the alarm to stop and the agents to return to the room and finally give them the explanation they were dying to hear about. Everything went fine with that plan that is until Virgil stood up to go to the bathroom and told them that he couldn't wait. Unfortunately neither Tracy man liked the idea that Virgil went by himself and they tried to convince him otherwise, however the longer the arguing proceeded the more did Virgil appear pissed off and before he could prevent the temper explosion from his third oldest son, Virgil threw his hands in the air and exclaimed, "This is getting ridiculous! I don't need permission or a babysitter follow me into the bathroom. I'm twenty-two, not two-years-old. I promise I will be careful and not intervene in the agents business, at lest until the situation calls for it, and besides you can trust me to be the least likely person in our family who doesn't naturally get himself into trouble with the exception of John."

Jeff sighed heavily. Virgil did have a point. Between his four sons, it was more likely Scott and Gordon were the ones who stumbled themselves into trouble, intentionally or not, while John and Virgil were the more careful ones. John was probably the best example, seeing as he couldn't get into too much trouble up in space, but either way if there was son he trusted the most not to be careless then it was Virgil.

So he closed his eyes and sighed heavily one more time before he opened up his eyes again and said, "All right, you can go, but promise me that you will just go from point A to point B and back. No shortcuts or detours. Okay?"  
Virgil nodded as a response before he stood up from his seat and left the room, leaving him alone with Brains, Scott and Gordon. Even though Virgil had given a reasonable excuse to leave the room he still couldn't help feeling slightly concerned about Virgil's well being. Whatever was going on outside these doors he seriously hoped that Virgil wouldn't be caught in the middle of it and if he did then he hoped that Virgil would come out of it unharmed.

* * *

Running down endless of corridors while keeping a low profile was seemed almost impossible. He stood up in this building that was filled with federal agents dressed in dark suits and wore professionalism on their sleeves, something he for one didn't exactly share with them. Alan realized that in order to venture around the building undetected at least for a short while anyways he needed to blend in, which meant that he needed some kind of disguise. And he knew exactly what he needed, so he walked around and followed the directions to the locker rooms. He searched around the different locker rooms until he found one that was empty inside before he entered inside. It was just an ordinary locker room, nothing very specially to comment on, but he wasn't really in the mindset on commenting the decorator of the place. Instead he picked up the lock on one of the lockers, hoping to find some extra clothes as well possible bag or backpack so he could keep his own clothes somewhere and among other things. The first locker proved to be useless, so he tried to another one, but this time he found a spare suit as well as a black sports backpack. He found also inside the locker a handgun along with bullets and blanks inside a safe, which was easy to break the combination to, and he wondered if he should bring it along with him or not. His memory didn't exactly include any knowledge in guns and artillery, but who know it might be useful to bring along in case he stumbled upon trouble.

Then he quickly changed clothes and put his clothes in the backpack. Alan found the suit pretty awkward and uncomfortable to wear, especially since it was a few sizes to big for him, and it was also even more uncomfortable with his hair hanging down his back. So he tied his hair up in a messy bun before he took one finally sigh before he left the locker-room and continued down the hallway.

His plan was simple find a available computer, download as much information the FBI had on the Golden Cobra and get the hell out of there before he was caught. Such a simple plan, yet something that he had to do in order to find Fermat. His memories were still not complete, so he had to figure out the organization's location on his own. Hopefully the FBI had some clue where he could find them if not then he was officially screwed.

The alarm was still going haywire, driving him insane, but he continued to on like nothing was the matter as he walked pass the few agents that was coming and going his way. The agents didn't take much notice of him and continued in their own direction. Alan almost couldn't believe his luck regarding how easy it was walking around the building. He had thought that it would be hard and stressing to blend in a place like this, especially considering that he really didn't appear as an adult in situations like this. Then again he have been mistaken for being a woman due to his long hair on many occasions and people could easily believe that he was older than what he was since some woman still maintained a youthful appearance even till their late thirties at least. It was kind of a pain as well as awkward to be mistaken for a young female, like the Scott Tracy had mistaken him for being his mother whoever she was, but in circumstances like this it was a good thing that his appearance could deceive people.

Anyways when he reached the end of the hallway he turned the corner to the left and entered the first room he saw that had an open door. It was a normal office room filled with phones and computers on top of all the desks. Alan moved his gaze around the room, watching out for agents looking or approaching him as well looking for an available computer. No one looked up at him and he found an empty computer not far away from him. So he strode over to the desk with a casual manner and sat down on the chair before he turned the search program on the computer and began searching for the information on the organization. The results from his search were pages long, and some weren't even reliable or relevant to him, so he had much work ahead of him. Alan only hoped that he had enough time to sort through it all and find something of value to him. Otherwise the rescue mission would be a lot harder to do, especially with his limited memory of his old life, and then he would have to take different measures to find and rescue Fermat, to which he had no idea what he was going to do. Needless to say, he had a lot of work to do so he leaped right into it and began looking through the search results.

* * *

Agent Farrell and Agent Emerson responded immediately to the alarm and headed towards the location where said alarm was going off like the place was on fire, which was very unlikely seeing as no one inside the building was fighting their way out in order to escape. One reason for that is that the sound of the alarm was different from the ordinary fire alarm and the other reason was that they had been paged by Agent Monroe and Agent Harrods, telling them to go to the interrogation room and that they would explain what was going on with the alarm once they got there. So without even getting into details, those two had just informed them that whatever happened in the interrogation room had caused the alarm to set in.

Agent Farrell wanted to smirk over the incompetence those two snobby agents showed and how it was her and her partner they asked for when they suddenly had a big problem. Of course they could have paged them because they knew that they were now working the same case, but she liked to think her personal reason was the right one especially since it was most likely considering their relationship with each other, which was barely civil at best.

Anyways once she and her partner arrived at the interrogation room she was shocked to see the sight in front of her. The door was opened with Agent Monroe and Agent Harrods inside, while the observation room next door was in a complete mess. Glass shards were on the ground, apparently on both sides between the two rooms, and a discarded chair on the floor in the interrogation room. So the most likely scenario that had happened was that someone, a suspect no doubt, threw the chair against the glass and escaped through the window to the observation room. Whoever had done this was either incredibly gutsy or incredibly stupid to escape in such bold way.

"So tell me, what happened here? Other than the obvious that a suspect was let here alone and escaped," Agent Farrell asked with a cocky, yet not amused by how those two snobby agents had handled the suspect. "How stupid could you be leaving a suspect alone in the room?"

Agent Monroe frowned by the accusation and almost sneered back at her and said, "We thought that things were covered and we had to inform the victim's family about the development in the case."

"Obvious things weren't covered seeing as our suspect escaped, quite smoothly," She replied back and turned around the crime scene. "Weren't the suspect cuffed? Did we catch anything on the video camera?"

Agent Harrods shook his head and said, "Of course we cuffed him and did everything by the book, Farrell, so don't accuse us of doing otherwise without any proof to support your theory. And as for the video camera, the suspect had been smart and covered it up until he escaped."

She rolled her eyes, thinking that only Agent Harrods would think that the suspect had been very smart since it was the most obvious and smartest thing to do if you wanted to escape undetected before the agents arrived.

"Can we see the video feed?" She asked instead, which Agent Harrods nodded and pulled out a portable computer and showed the whole interrogation video along with the minutes the suspect had been left alone in the room. The interrogation went by uneventfully other than the fact that the suspect or Alan Shepard looked like he wanted to punch them since they weren't listening to what he was saying, which she honestly couldn't say she blamed him for it, however it was the moments when he was left alone that was interesting. The feed showed that he began fidgeting with his hair before he suddenly stopped and began moving around with his cuffs. Minutes later the cuff were off and then in a matter of seconds Alan got up from his seat and covered the camera with his sweatshirt and seconds later the sweatshirt was removed and he was gone.

Agent Farrell sighed heavily, not totally sure how he did it but the kid had pick the lock with whatever he had managed to hid before his personal effects were taken away. The kid had obviously more tricks up his sleeves than what she or the other agents first thought, but either way it was clear that there was something more going on. The thing was what exactly was going on and how they were supposed to line up all the pieces?

* * *

It took time to go through everything, most of it was just useless facts and speculation on the FBI's side, but Alan found some of it informative. They had no clue about the origin of the organization started or where their current location was, but the list of possible suspects that was a part of the Golden Cobra. Not that they had enough evidence to convict them for the crimes they had committed, including himself. Of course he doubted that feds knew that he had been involved with the organization in the past, especially considering he was around eleven or twelve years old when he got out and lost his memory.

Anyways as he looked on the list of possible members of the organization, many names and pictures were pretty unfamiliar to him, but one name stood out from the crowd. Renée Belvoir, a young French-born woman in her early twenties with long black hair and chocolate brown hair. According to the feds, she was mysterious member and was often suspected for being the person behind some high-class robberies, but only recently been accused of running a prostitution ring in New York City. However it was not that reason that he recognized her, but rather the fact that he suddenly got a memory flash about him and her training together in both physical circumstances as well in thieving circumstances. They had been colleagues of some sort and had been pretty close from what he understood from his memory; he even remembered her nickname that the Golden Cobra used for her, The Temptress. The men inside the organization feared her since she had the ability to manipulate men and do her biding with her beauty and charm, but she was too important and excellent in her job to get rid of her.

Alan leaned back in his chair. He might not know where the Golden Cobra was residing and holding Fermat, but he had someone who might do. So he needed to find Renée and he had just a great idea where to start. Now that he got the information he needed it was time to leave this place, because his luck was soon bound to run out. And if he was to be honest, then he definitely didn't want to be around FBI agents once they found out where he was and that he was still in the building. So he grabbed his things and quickly removed any trace on the computer on what he had been up to, since after what he had seen with those two agents that interrogated him let's just say his faith in the agency was diminished into nothing. If he wanted things to be done, then he had to do it himself no doubt.

He left the office and began walking as calmly as he could down the hall and towards the stairs, heading for the direction of the exit of this fortress. Things were going smoothly until he came down the stairs. He was walking casually with his gaze turned on the steps when he lifted his head and was face to face with the two agents from before as well as another duo behind them, standing a couple of steps beneath from where he was standing. They stared at each other a for a moment, slowly recognizing him and him knowing that his luck had just run out.

"Oh crap," Alan muttered to himself before he turned on his heel and ran up the same direction where he had been coming from. Yells and exasperation came after and was then was followed by with hurried footsteps coming after him. The agents were on to him, but things were turning to the worse when they called for backup, which showed up in every direction from the passing floor he tried to stop on. So going upwards weren't doing so well, Alan thought quickly what he was going to do instead. It was an impulsive and reckless idea and he didn't think about it when he got on the banister and slid down on in like it was a water slide. As he slid down he got the chance to see the surprise on the agents faces when they saw him going down, no one intervene on his ride since they knew the danger of stopping him and their protocol stated to apprehend the suspect in a non-violent way possible unless they were out of options. So they stood there and let him slide down until he was at the bottom of the stairs.

However the minute he was at the bottom he found himself surrounded by agents. Once again he acted without thinking as he pulled out the gun he had taken earlier, loaded it before he aimed it at the ceiling and fired it. Don't ask him how he knew how to do it, since he honestly didn't know, but it was like his body did it automatically like it was a habit. It scared him how his body did something like that without him having control, however it worked somehow in his favor when the agents stepped back and took cover, giving him the opportunity to get away.

* * *

Virgil almost wanted to vent his frustration over this place. Seriously, who in the world decided to place the bathroom several floors away from the meeting rooms? And the only one he found available in this whole building was on the ground floor where the entrance was. Anyways once he was done doing his business in the bathroom he left and was on his way back to the meeting room where his dad and the others were when suddenly he got pulled into a situation that involved a fleeing suspect. Not sure how things turned out that way since one minute he was walking and minding his own business and the next he came face to face with a young kid with long blond hair, who looked pretty agitated, and was holding a gun in his hand. And before he had the chance to get away or remove the gun the kid twirled around in one second was behind him with an arm around his neck and a gun barrel aimed at the side of his head.

"Listen, don't make any sudden movements," the kid whispered in his ear. "I promise I'm not going to hurt you, but please don't try and do something stupid."

The kid sounded desperate and yet determined and sincere about his statement. Nothing indicated that he wanted to harm him, but then again most criminals said stuff like that and did mean it. So why should he believe the kid, especially when the kid was holding a gun to his head?

"You are making a big mistake, buddy," Virgil hissed back. "No way you are getting out of this that easily."

The kid just shrugged and said, "Yeah, well this can be one of the many mistakes I have made in my life, but I know I'm doing all of this for one certain and good purpose. You and the others might disagree on my method, but we all are interested in the same thing. Only I want to get something back from the ones who stole from me, the real bad guys in this mess, and make them pay for what they did."

Virgil only stared at the kid from the corner of his eye, shocked over what he was hearing. He claimed to be a good guy? That doesn't make any sense, especially their current situation. This kid was supposed to be the bad guy, right? But then what did he mean when he said someone had stolen from him? And that did he mean that he was going to get it back? And the most important question why was this person or thing or whatever so important to him that he was risking his life as well getting in trouble with feds.

Anyways the kid stood there behind him, with the gun against his head while keeping his gaze on the agents that was approaching him but keeping a distance for them, knowing that if they went any further they might risk his life being a hostage.

"Listen up, this is how things are going to go," the kid shouted out to the agents, catching everyone's attention including those two agents he met in the meeting room with dad and the others. "You are going to let me and my friend here…"

The kid looked unsure before he asked him for his name, which was kind of a surprise since most people knew his name due to his dad and his family. Either way he responded by grumbling his name to his apparent captor of some sort before the kid continued his demands, "…Virgil, let me out of this place unharmed. And I'll let Virgil go once we are gone somewhere safe and secure, not harm will come to him as long as you play by my rules."

The agents were unresponsive, rather fixated on him and the gun to his head. The situation didn't get any better when the elevator door opened on his left side, just a few meters away from him and the kid. And out of the elevator stepped out his family as well as Brains with two unknown agents. Virgil's initial thought when he saw them was so much for being the least likely one to get in trouble. Here he was with an arm around his neck and bullet to his head, currently held hostage by a kid who apparently seemed to be a whole lot dangerous than what anyone had anticipated.

**.**

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**Thanks again for the response I have been receiving, hope you guys like this chapter. **

**So since school is about to start I can't promise when or how often I will be updating on this story, but I will continue it and write on it during the few moments I have time to spare and write. **

**And as for those of you who reads my other TB story, _Whispers In The Dark,_ I will be trying to weekly update the story on Mondays, but again I can't promise I will always be on time since I will be busy. **

**With that said, please continue giving me reviews, favorite and/or followings, and the next chapter will be out as soon as its done. **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	10. I Forgot To Read The Kidnapping 101

**9\. I Forgot To Read The Kidnapping 101 **

It was like seeing a ghost standing there next to his son, except for the part where the ghost of his past was holding a gun barrel towards said son's head. Jeff wasn't sure how to comprehend the situation, even less so when the one who was causing the ruckus was way to similar to his Lucy. They shared the same hair color and hair length, facial structure and even the same fire in their eyes, but the only thing that managed to remind him that this wasn't Lucy was that the person in front of them was in fact a young teenage boy.

"Now are you guys going to cooperate or do I have to make myself clear how serious I really am," The young teen glared with those blue eyes that almost reminded him of blazing fire. Jeff realized that those kinds of eyes weren't something an ordinary child would have. No, those were the eyes of a fighter and survivor, like the ones he saw when he served the army where they had been burden with a harsh reality. It was something that wasn't supposed to be seen in the eyes of a fifteen-sixteen year old boy. So he took one hesitate step forward, trying to maintain control over the situation and help Virgil.

"No need to make any hasty decisions," His arms were stretched out and lowered in order to appear unarmed and harmless. "We just want no one to get hurt. Tell me, son, what's your name?"

The boy stared at him. His eyes flickered in confusion for a moment before he responded warily, "Alan. And I suppose you are Mr. Jeff Tracy, Virgil's father, right?"

He wasn't sure if it was the fact that Alan showed his wariness the same way his deceased wife used to do o that he shared the same first name as his baby son, but he quickly composed himself and nodded and answered, "And you are the one that have been accused to have kidnapped your friend Fermat."

Alan's frowned greatly by the accusation and almost sneered back, "I did not kidnap him. And I have told those damn agents that I did and wouldn't do that, but seeing as I'm the perfect scapegoat and the only one that has the opportunity and motive to do that. Well… if they don't believe me then I will have to prove it to you and find out who did and bring them to justice."

Jeff didn't like the sound of that. No matter the reason a child shouldn't be even considering putting himself in danger and try to fight down criminals to prove his innocence. He looked from the corner of his eye and saw that the agents had retrieved their gun while he and Alan had been conversing and was aiming at the young teen like they were ready to shoot him down. Alan too must have realized this when he clenched his teeth said exasperated, "Now that's out of the way, are you going to let me and Virgil walk out of here alive or do you prefer that we take a shortcut to the hospital or better yet the morgue?"

Neither of those alternatives sounded any good to him, but he couldn't risk his son's life by being stubborn and difficult.

"Why should I trust you that will do as you say?" Jeff asked. He was trying to buy time, but Alan seemed to understand his tactic and simply responded with, "You don't."

"Then why at all?" Pushing the question wasn't going to help, but he found himself drawn to the conversation. He wanted to know as much as possible about this boy and about his reasons. Alan's eyes for the first time grew desperate and almost pleading for him to listen and understand as well as agreeing to his wishes.

"Please. For once in your life, just don't think about the what-ifs," Alan stared right at him and wasn't removing his gaze away from him. "Take a leap of faith and trust me that I will do everything in my power to uphold my promise to you regarding your son's safety and Fermat's return."

Hearing him mention take a leap of faith was exactly what Lucy used to say to him, normally when he had been too quick to judge or simply refused to listen to whatever she said to him, but the scary thing was that they sounded too much alike. It wasn't possible for someone to sound so alike, especially since one of them have been dead for thirteen years and the other was just a toddler, which would make it even more unlikely that he could have known or even met his wife. Still separating the memory of his wife and the young teen in front of him was getting harder and harder, which led to him being conflicted if he should trust the boy or not and allow him to walk out of here with Virgil. Jeff knew that Virgil was efficient and smart to handle things on his own, though he might not be exactly used to be a hostage in a kidnapping situation, but even with that said something in his gut told him that he should trust Alan's words. And he believed that his son would be safe and unharmed long enough till they got him back. So he made his decisions regardless of what Scott and the federal agents believed, he closed his eyes and nodded his head slowly.

Alan didn't respond or gloat that he got what he wished instead he moved his gaze to the agents to clarify the agreement before he began slowly and carefully walking towards the entrance dragging a stunned Virgil with him. Everyone in the building was just quiet as quiet as a cemetery, while they all watched the young teen take away his hostage out the door and soon enough out of their sights. Once they were gone everyone snapped out of their silence and confusion and then began yelling and ordering around to make a trail on Alan and Virgil and such. Needless to say, he wasn't really focusing on his surroundings rather the fact that he was already starting to doubt his decision. He could only hope that he wasn't making a mistake and that his son as well as Fermat would be back with them once again.

* * *

The trick to get as far away from the federal building and to a safe place was proving to be a lot more difficult than what Alan had anticipated with Virgil being anything but a cooperative and willing hostage. Seeing as he wasn't going to get far with Virgil making a scene as they continued to walk through the crowd of people, who were bound to notice their awkwardness and hostility a mile away, he did the only thing he could think off. He used the syringe Vinnie had provided him and knocked the older young man out. However doing so proved to give him another problem since he had to a drag around a heavy body, which was definitely not the fastest way to escape though it provided him with the excuse that Virgil had been drinking a little more than he should and was sleeping it off. A lie, but nonetheless it was better than being accused for being a kidnapper, even though that was the truth.

They continued walking down the street until he found a car just a few corners away from the federal building. Without any problems he managed to carjack an old yellow-green Volkswagen beetle, shoved Virgil in the backseat and then began hitting the road with a destination in mind as well as a possible hiding place for him and Virgil while he dealt with certain business on his own. During the entire drive, he couldn't stop thinking about the encounter with Mr. Tracy, Virgil's father, and how is seemed very familiar to him despite never meeting or laid an eye on the man before now. And his memories weren't really helping either because all he got was just blurs whenever he tried to remember back where he had seen him before. In the end he just gave up trying to convince himself that there was something more, figuring that should he remember then he would remember at a certain time voluntarily and not forced as he was doing right now. So he leaned back in his car seat and continued focusing on the road ahead of him, while his thoughts continued to return back to the plan how to clean up this mess with as few casualties as possible.

* * *

"It seems that the Brat is heading our way," Vinnie pointed out as he watched the last video feed from the security camera that showed Alan and an unconscious Virgil Tracy driving away in an ugly-looking car. His boss just smirked over the development, almost grinning like a sneaky cat. Fermat, who was watching them interacting knew right away that the Boss had more in store than what he was saying out loud, and it made him almost want to roll his eyes in annoyance. Something that would remind him that he had been spending so much time with Alan that he would borrow some of his personality traits.

The Boss leaned back in his seat and chuckled, "So it would seem. However I don't see a reason to make the rescue easy for him. After all he has to earn his prize, don't you agree Vinnie?"

Vinnie responded by giving his boss a sinister smile before he asked, "What did you have in mind?"

"Let's give him some obstacles along the way," The Boss stated simply as his arms folded against his chest and looked up at his subordinate with pride over himself. "Our main intention by taking Mr. Hackenbacker was to test Alan out, to see if he was still the valuable asset that I believe he still is to us, and also to sharpening and reminding him of his old trade."

Fermat only glared at them. How dare they use his best friend as a pawn in their plans like they were playing a game of chess? Alan had his faults, no doubt about that, but he was still a good and loyal person and it wasn't right to use those qualities about him against him to do their bidding. And if he had been strong and brave enough to do anything he would have made them see that, but unfortunately his strength and abilities were pretty limited despite those few sessions with Parker on self-defense. It was highly unlikely that a 'Parker Special' would work on these people, who seemingly had been trained to survive and withstand unexpected attacks regardless of where the attack came from.

"I'll take a couple of guys and see to it," Vinnie answered before he took his leave and left the room, leaving Fermat once again in alone with the Boss of a psychopath. It was then the Boss turned to look at him, probably just to look at his reaction and taunt him about it. Once again Fermat wondered how in the world Alan managed to live and survive through all of this when he could barely stand being around them for just a couple of days. He promised himself that should he ever get the chance to get out of here, he would bow down to Alan and tell him that he was the stronger and more honorable man in this hellhole and shouldn't feel ashamed of his past, which he was almost certain Alan was based on how vague he had been on talking about it.

Anyways the Boss did just as he predicted and gave him a taunting grin before he said, "Are you concerned about your friend?"

The answer was yes, but he would be damned if he told this man the truth and use it against him later. So he shook his head and answered the question coldly, "N-no, I'm n-not."

The Boss faked a surprised reaction and asked with his voice a tone higher from the way he usually talked, "Oh? I thought you cared about your best friend, especially since he is going as far as running away from the law just for your sake."

"O-of course I-I care a-about him," Fermat lowered his gaze, insecure if he should be saying more to aggravate this man or not, but at that moment he felt too angry and brave to take much caution. Which was why he lifted up his head again and stared at the men bravely and continued, "H-However I h-have faith in h-him and I-I know t-that he isn't g-going t-to be p-playing y-your game the w-way you w-want h-him to. I-If there is o-one t-thing I k-know about h-him, is t-that he is m-more than w-what you c-can ever imagine. A-and I'm p-proud to b-be his f-friend."

For a moment the older man was actually stunned to hear him talk, let alone be brave enough to say such good things about Alan, but the reaction quickly disappeared and was once again replaced by the prideful and taunting demeanor.

"Let's see if you are right then," He shrugged his shoulders before he turned his back on him again. "Would hate to see your views on my little Ghost shatter into tiny pieces."

Fermat glared angrily at the man's back before he huffed and wished that he were anywhere else than in this room, while hoping that Alan was having some more luck on his end than what he was currently having.

* * *

Jem Cassidy wasn't sure what to say about the situation he had been involuntarily been pulled into along with Haley, but one thing was certain was that the minute he got his hands on his adoptive brother he was going to ground him till he was at least ninety for pulling a stunt like this, fleeing federal custody and actually kidnapping Scott's younger brother. When he and Haley had been informed of these events, they couldn't believe what they were hearing, but it was confirmed when they arrived at the federal building and was shown the security videos moments before Alan and Virgil left the building. Though he was exasperated by his brother's actions, he knew that something more was going on than what met the eye, but unfortunately not everyone shared the same opinion as him regarding the matter.

The Cassidy siblings were sitting in a meeting room along with the Tracy family and Mr. Hackenbacker, who he learned was Fermat's father, as well as the four agents that was working on the kidnapping case of both Fermat and also Virgil's. And while the agents tried to maintain control over the situation and keep everyone calm, Scott was more than anything vivid about his father's actions to allow Alan and Virgil go as well as Jem's role in raising Alan.

"I can't believe any of this!" Scott exclaimed in fury. "You were supposed to find Fermat and bring him home, not get my little brother kidnapped by the same kid who took Fermat in the first place!"

His fist slammed into the table, it was a pure wonder that the table didn't break in half from the impact, but at least it was the table that would feel his anger rather someone poor unfortunate fool like him or his dad. However Jem wasn't an overly patient man despite him having the proper training to be patient when the situation came down to it, so there was no way he was going to sit there and listen to them accusing Alan for doing things he didn't do, for motives that wasn't important or relevant to the kid. Which is why he turned to glare at Scott and sneered, "Will you just shut up and not give Alan all the blame? We don't honestly know what happened before he was brought down here or during the time when he was running around the place alone. Other than the fact that he took Virgil with him, we know that Alan has a plan to track down the real kidnappers. So let's focus on who exactly he believed did it instead."

Scott glared back and was about to say something insulting back at him, but was fortunately interrupted by Agent Farrell and her partner as she rose up from her seat and walked to the whiteboard and began making a timeline before she turned her attention on them again and asked, "Mr. Cassidy is right. And we are currently working on it as we speak, however we are going to need your help to walkthrough everything that went down as well as much information that we can get on Alan."

Her request was leading, her plan was to distract information with hope that it would be helpful during the investigation, but thing was that there wasn't much neither he or Haley could tell them. No, that wasn't exactly true. They could mention the fact that Alan suffers from amnesia and doesn't know much about his past other than his criminal past or the little they knew about his criminal past, but they weren't going to do it. That was something he and Haley had agreed on a long time ago should a situation like this strike where Alan's actions and morals would be questioned. If they wanted that information they would have to be certain that no one was going to abuse that knowledge and use it against him.

Jem leaned back in his seat, folded his arms against his chest and said pointed, "What you are really asking us is that if we know where he would go or where he would be hiding, right?"

Agent Farrell looked sort of ashamed that her plan had been exposed, but nonetheless she nodded and waited for his reply with great anticipation.

So he closed his eyes for a second and sighed heavily before he answered with a strong voice, "Yeah, well as much as my sister and I want to help getting Fermat and Virgil back we don't want to tell you anything regarding Alan, for our own special reasons. I hope you guys understand."

And as he expected no one in the room was very understanding about the matter as they all began yelling and arguing how foolish and selfish they were being as well as that they could get arrested for withholding information from the feds, but both he and Haley shrugged and remained stubborn about the matter. And when people finally asked them why, Haley was the one who answered and said stubbornly, "We might not be the biggest or the wealthiest family, it is small and complicated, but it is a good family. We are willing to stand by one another and protect them, no matter what, so we are going to stand by Alan despite his wrongs because that is what a family does. Don't you agree?"

No one said anything, but it was clear based on their facial expressions that they all agreed on her notion. However that didn't mean that their annoyance and frustration about their decision wasn't all forgiven and forgotten, but at least they had the main idea about how far they were willing to cooperate at least until they managed to find some clues for themselves that would force them to tell them the truth that is.

Agent Farrell sighed, though she didn't agree with them she had accepted their condition, but she still had to ask the number one question, "Where would Alan go if he needed to hide?"

"That's the thing we don't honestly know," Jem replied lightly, almost annoyed over the fact that they did indeed have no clue. "He is known for his disappearing acts, why else do you think we had a hard time keeping him in school? If he doesn't want to be found, you wouldn't find him I can tell you that much."

"Why" Everyone asked, interested in hearing how it was possible that a sixteen year old can simply disappear into thin air that easily.

"Because he is too smart to get caught," Jem shrugged his shoulders. "Like I said if he doesn't want to be found, you wouldn't find him. So good luck trying to find a ghost."

* * *

Feeling a car driving over a hard rock, making the car itself rocking and hit his head at the hard surface Virgil woke up disturbed to be lightly about it. Sure, he has had his share of turbulent rides both in ordinary cars and on the Thunderbird aircrafts, but that didn't mean he necessary liked to wake up to such an impact and actually feel pain the moment he woke up. Rubbing his head, he sat up and realized that he was in the backseat of a beat-up old car with Alan driving in the front seat.

"What the hell?" He groaned annoyed. His dad had been very stern about bad language and thought them to refrain for using such a language, but there wasn't a better way to describe his surprise about his current situation.

Alan looked up, staring at the mirror, and answered simply, "You're awake. Good, I was wondering how long you would be knocked out."

Virgil blinked his eyes several times, confused about the whole interaction. One moment this kid was holding a gun to his head and the next he is chatting with him like nothing had ever happened. Seriously, what was up with this kid?

"I'm sorry, I think you are mistaking the situation here. You are my kidnapper, aren't you I don't know supposed to be frightening me or trying to get a ransom for my return or something?" Virgil asked annoyed as he glared at the front view mirror in order to get Alan to understand the seriousness of his actions. However he remained calm and carefree about it and simply said, "Nah, I forgot to read the Kidnapping 101 manual."

"That's…reassuring," Virgil said awkwardly, as he couldn't believe that he fell as a kidnapping victim to a complete amateur as it would seem. His thoughts continued with that the kid tried to be humorous about the whole thing even though it was the worst timing to do so. Nonetheless he had to take advantage of his situation as much as he could, like distracting information about him and where Fermat could be and than try and escape. Sounded like a good enough plan, but that didn't mean he still didn't frown his eyebrows in annoyance on the last response, which Alan just grinned with pride and said, "Come on, you have to admit it was funny. You getting kidnapped by a teenager, who has never ever done it before, it is really a great accomplishment."

He really didn't, but if he had to be honest it was sort of funny especially had it been in a different context. However he changed the subject and asked instead where he was taking him, while hoping it was his drop site or something. The ease and lightness shifted quickly to a serious and uncomfortable tension. Alan sighed heavily and responded by saying, "We are going to New York to see an old friend of mine."

Virgil found the answer odd as the kid had been so determined to find the ones who had really taken Fermat, so why in the world go and see a co-worker of his?

"Why? What can this co-worker of yours tell you?" He asked, curiosity peaked a notch as he wondered what this kid could be hiding.

"Well, she is not really a friend," Alan held his gaze strongly on the road in front of him, refusing to look at him for some reason. "More a co-worker considering the circumstances. Nonetheless she might be helpful if she decides to be helpful that is, but she is best lead I have right now."

Virgil just stared at the kid in front of him, who suddenly didn't seem to be the simplistic kid he saw a few moments ago. No, someone entirely different replaced that kid, someone who had obviously suffered and lived through what he might dare say was hell, but what that were he couldn't really determine just by looking. It was then he moved his gaze and noticed the old scars on Alan's hands, and being the medic expert in the family he knew immediately those weren't ordinary injuries. Injuries like that are often made deliberate, and he was certain that it had probably caused him a lot of pain and was actually lucky that his nerves weren't served because of it.

He tilted his head upwards, pointing out the hands and asked, "What happened to your hands?"

Alan didn't answer right away, but he didn't need to because Virgil knew that it was a sore subject for him to talk about it. The awkward and uncomfortable tension had grown thicker than before and he was almost certain that he wasn't going to answer, but surprisingly Alan responded quietly with a hint of irony, "Someone thought that the best way to teach me obedience was to cut straight to the point, quite literally in fact. Stuck two knives straight through my hands, while holding me down and facing the excruciating pain."

Virgil was shocked by his words, and he wasn't sure at first if he should believe him or not, but the kid had no reason to lie and also he could detect any untruth in his words so he had to believe that someone had tried to hurt this kid. Was that the reason why this kid wasn't completely normal?

"But that's…" He tried to figure out how to continue his questions without messing it up too much, but his attempts were failing miserably. "Who would do such a thing? Was it someone in your family? Your dad perhaps?"

Alan just shook his head and answered almost heartbreaking, "No, not someone like that. The one who did that isn't someone who cares about me and the feeling is pretty mutual on my end as well."

The conversation died out after that, but that was fine by him anyways. It meant that he was left with his own thoughts, as he was completely confused over what he had discovered about his kidnapper. He had at first that the kid was just simple and the motive behind everything was money, but the proved to be similar to an onion. The kid had several layers that described and was a part of him, and for each layer he discovered there was a totally new side about him that ruined the recently established picture of him. Virgil wasn't sure what to believe, however he was certain that based on everything that Alan had told him during their short acquaintance he was certain that his words were fully the truth. Alan was planning on finding Fermat and bring him back home and bring the true kidnappers to justice, what exactly he meant by justice they would just have to wait and see, but nonetheless that left him with one pending question. Who was exactly Alan Shepard?

* * *

In front of the federal building a pink car had just been parked in front of the entrance. And out of the driver's side, an older man with a grey chauffeur uniform stepped out to open the passenger door. And if the pink car was just a surprising sight then the elegant lady that stepped out of the passenger side was a heart-stopping sight. A blonde-haired woman was dressed in a pink outfit, both her jacket and shirt was a matching pair, however if her appearance wasn't enough everything about the woman screamed of intelligence, elegance and properness. She quickly thanked her chauffeur and companion and told him to meet her once he was finished down here before she approached the building and entered inside.  
With her destination in mind she took the elevator a couple of floors up and once the elevator stopped at the right floor she continued down the hall and entered the meeting room where she heard a loud and angry discussion going on. Immediately recognizing the voice behind the one who was the angriest of the bunch, she smiled before she knocked the door and ventured inside and said, "Hello, boys."

"Lady Penelope," Scott and Gordon Tracy said surprised, while Jeff just as surprised but more relieved to see her said, "Penny, what are you doing here? I thought you had that assignment in Indonesia."

Her smile had not disappeared from her face as she sat down on the empty seat next to Jeff and responded honest and elegantly, "I just finished it and I figured I could lend you a hand in the whole kidnapping case, especially since things has escalated to that Virgil has been taken as well."

Even though the four agents as well as the two other people in the room, who was most likely siblings based on their similar appearance, was stunned to hear how much she knew about the case despite it not being publically announced. However the Tracys and Brains knew far to well how knowledgeable she was and how easy it was for her retrieve such classified information, so they simply put her up to date with the things she didn't know already. And as she listened to took the notice that the federal agents weren't very happy or reassured by her presence, but she had quickly informed that she was there to be an helping hand and try her best not to interfere with the investigation. They agreed reluctantly on her cooperation and once she had learned what everyone on the room knew. She folded her nicely manicured hands and asked, "Well, how about you show me the video feed on the interrogation as well as any other evidence that brought you to the suspect Alan Shepard, and then we can start to get into the bottom of this mess."

The agents didn't say anything, only left the room most likely to fulfill her request, leaving her to catch up with Tracys.

* * *

Vinnie was being careful as he whispered into his cell phone and said, "The little Brat is coming your way, I was hoping you could give him a proper welcome should my guys fail to do it on while he is on his way to you."

The voice on the other end, chuckled lightly as she responded, "Consider it done. I assume I'm not suppose to rough him up too much, right?"

Rolling his eyes, Vinnie confirmed his boss's orders and quickly hung up afterwards. Once he put the phone back into his pocket he said to himself, "I wonder how the Ghost is going to react when he sees her again, seeing as he abandoned her four years ago."

**.**

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**.**

**Thanks again for the response I have been receiving, hope you guys like this chapter. **

**So since school is about to start I can't promise when or how often I will be updating on this story, but I will continue it and write on it during the few moments I have time to spare and write. **

**One of my reviewers asked when the Tracys would figure out Alan's true identity, and to answer that question I have to say I'm not completely sure. However based on how the story is moving along it shouldn't be too long, but I first want to build some more into the relationship between Alan and Virgil. A vague answer, but it is the best I can do for now. **

**And as for those of you who reads my other TB story, _Whispers In The Dark,_ I will be trying to weekly update the story on Mondays, but again I can't promise I will always be on time since I will be busy.**

**With that said, please continue giving me reviews, favorite and/or followings, and the next chapter will be out as soon as its done. **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	11. Don't Say A Word

**10\. Don't Say A Word  
**

It wasn't surprising that his captor couldn't keep an eye on him constantly, but he had expected to be at least placed into a holding cell or something. Instead he received another babysitter, who was just as the rest of this bunch, intimidating and intense to be around. The only difference between his captor/the Boss was that this person seemed to be just a few years older than him. Fermat would rather pick someone his own age than that crazy man who was running this show like his own personal playground.

Still he found out quickly that his new guard dog was not of the chatty type and simply appeared to be annoyed to be assigned to watch him. The guy was dressed in plain dark clothes that were fit tightly around his well-muscled body. His light-brown hair was so short that it was almost a buzz-cut, meanwhile his dark eyelashes covered the sea-green eyes that stared at him with a penetrating gaze. The only other physical trait that stood out was the scar on his cheek that looked like an x or a small cross. Nonetheless Fermat was stuck in the same room as before only with a guy who probably could kill him and make sure no one ever found his body ever again. And even though every part of his body told him to just sit there and stay quiet, but his curiosity got the best of him. So he asked with slightly awe, "W-what is your n-name?"

The guy snorted and didn't reply at first, just like Fermat expected, but the guy must have found him staring at him with curious eyes annoying so he finally answered reluctantly, "Blaze."

Then he moved his gaze away like he was ashamed or something, but if that was the case Fermat wondered what it could be that made him feel so ashamed about his name, unless it wasn't really his name. From what he had heard Vinnie and the Boss had called Alan by the nickname Ghost, though he didn't know the reason why he was almost certain that this guy too had the same deal, a nickname that meant or were associated with something and were commonly used around this place.

"B-but that's not your r-real name, is it?" He felt bad for him, assuming that he must have experienced the same as Alan. Blaze looked honestly shocked that he managed to figure out that fact and appeared to be debating with himself whether he should just act on it or try and keep quiet, but in the end it had rattled him too much so he said frustrated, "How do you know that? You are just a prisoner here, a nobody that is never going to return back home, so how can you know that when you don't even know me?"

Fermat sighed, pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose and said, "I figured it out when your boss and Vinnie was talking earlier about my friend, who I know is doing his best to come and get me back."

"Oh, really," Blaze folded his arms and smirked with confidence. "And who is this supposed friend of yours that my boss and Vinnie would talk about and who apparently works for them?"

Fermat grew insecure whether it was a smart idea to tell him about Alan or not, but he was almost certain that this guy would know him and who know maybe revealing the truth might work for his benefit. So he answered quietly, "Alan or w-what your b-boss and Vinnie c-called him, Ghost."

Hearing that name obviously caught Blaze off guard, seeing as he leaned against the wall with a broken expression on his face like someone had died or something. He covered his mouth with his hand and shook his head in disbelief. Fermat felt instantly bad for saying something since it had obviously caused him some distress and immediately apologized for his words, but somehow his apology brought Blaze out of his distress as he uncovered his mouth and asked, "He's still alive? And he is coming back here because of you?"

Fermat nodded. That horrible feeling in his stomach grew bigger over being reminded what exactly Alan was doing and what he was giving up in the process just for his sake. He was glad to know that he and the friendship they had was worth a lot to Alan, but it devastated him that it would ultimately lead to his doom once everything was over.

Either way Blaze looked vivid after getting that piece of information as he sneered angrily to himself, "How stupid can he be? It wasn't enough that he didn't do what he was told before that would ultimately result him being heavily punished. But now after finally getting an apparent clean break he decides to come back just to save his friend."

Then he shook his head and honestly appeared to have lost all sense of rationality before he just stopped and sighed heavily. Fermat asked what was the matter and received the most serious and desperate gaze he had ever seen his entire life.

"Alan is already getting himself way too deep into this and by returning to our world is going to destroy every chance he had in having a safe and ordinary life ever again, and not because of what the feds or the government in general is going to do with him if they managed to catch, but because of what Boss and Vinnie is going to do as well as the person he is going to meet in order to locate our current location. Trust me when I tell you that she holds a great grudge towards him since those two were close back in the day and he just disappeared on her. So I'm worried if our common friend will get here alive once he's been through her," Blaze explained before he completely shut down and ignored him again, but that was fine by Fermat since his worry over Alan's well being increased to a whole other level.

* * *

The FBI agents had already started trying to track down and capture Alan Shepard by using roadblocks, wanted posters and the media. Nothing had currently given them any information of Alan and Virgil's current location, but it was expected it would take some time until someone would notice the two boys. Meanwhile Lady Penelope and Parker were in the meeting room, watching closely at the interrogation video, both figured out very quickly that the two agents that was leading the show had already decided he was guilty despite the fact that there wasn't much that tied him to the kidnapping of Fermat. Agent Farrell and Agent Emerson had proved his innocence on that charge since they had found several reliable eye witnesses from the beach as well as his apartment manager that confirmed his alibi that he wasn't near the academy or his apartment afterwards in the time period of the kidnapping. Also his cellphone pinged at the same tower, which was located in the opposite direction of the school, during the timeline of the kidnapping. And there wasn't anything that proved that he had paid off the kidnapping, so it was literally impossible for him to have committed the kidnapping. Still that didn't mean that the rest of his charges disappeared. He had still escaped the feds custody and taken upon himself and kidnapped Virgil, so he was definitely not off the hook.

Anyways what intrigued Lady Penelope and Parker was the minutes after the interrogation was over and Alan was left alone in the room. It had not taken long before he retrieve whatever he had hid underneath his blond hair and used it to pick the lock on the handcuffs.

"Did you teach him to pick locks?" Lady Penelope asked Jem Cassidy with politeness and with authority that told everyone that it was no use trying to deny or lie to her. Jem shook his head and replied with hint of annoyance in his voice, "No. I never brought my handcuffs home and I would never teach him how to do it either since he was already a troublemaker enough, why put more flare into the flame?"

"And never taught him to use a gun either I assume?" Penelope continued and Jem remained strong and firm in response as he shared that he never did that either. She nodded and accepted the answer before she quickly moved her gaze to Parker, who looked closely at Alan picking the locks and appeared quite awed and familiar with the picture like he had seen this before. So she asked straight forward, "Have you seen this before?"

"Yes, milady," Parker answered without removing his gaze away from the screen. "The technique as well as the method the young man is using is similar to an old rival of mine from my old trade."

Parker's life before he was hired into Lady Penelope's staff was rather different and unassuming when people first learned about his former profession. He is a reformed criminal, one of the best he liked to add, who used to rob banks and among other things as well. Among his line of expertise, he was quite adept in picking locks and cracking safes, so it was no surprising that he recognized the method the young Shepard had used.

When the agents heard what he had just said they all asked what exactly was his old trade and who this rival was, obvious and understandingly questions, but he wasn't about to reveal his old past to the American government as well as two strangers. Both parties had no need knowing about it and he preferred to keep it at that. So he said, "I believe the young man have been apprenticed by him, but I need to talk with him to confirm it."

Penelope agreed and ordered Parker to leave immediately to find his old rival, which he did without question. Once he was gone she noticed that the two Cassidy siblings looked unnaturally worried, and even though Jeff and the others explained to her how they were helping them out with reluctance since their main priority was to protect Alan and bring him home, and she had a good feeling that they knew more than what they were letting on. But for the sake of their adoptive brother they decided to keep quiet, she hoped she could have a word with them in private and possibly gain their trust in order to get the information they were sitting on. However it wasn't meant to be at the moment, seeing as she was currently occupied with another security camera tape on what happened downstairs when Alan grabbed Virgil. Still she was determined that sooner or later she was going to get into the bottom of this and once again reunite the Tracy family. They have already been through enough and she wasn't about to bring another unfortunate event on their hands.

* * *

The drive towards New York was going surprisingly light well, despite the weird circumstances with his and Virgil's acquaintance. Sure, it was possible that it was a false sense of security, but honestly Alan preferred it more than having ill feelings between him and Virgil, even though he did kidnap the man in order to escape and not to actually take him.

Virgil was looking around in the backseat like he was searching for something before he asked curtly, "Where is my wallet? And my phone and my wrist watch?"

Of course he would have noticed that his personal affects were removed from him, but Alan couldn't take any chances right now that the feds wouldn't find them before they reached New York and though he planned on dropping Virgil off somewhere in the big city.

"I removed as a precaution," Alan responded lightly, trying to convince Virgil that he didn't feel to bad about taking his stuff. Though he had a past of being a thief, there was something about Virgil that made him feel terrible for taking his belongings, but he couldn't figure out what exactly. Either way Virgil glared at him and said, "I can get why you removed my wallet and my phone, but my watch, really?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Do you really think I didn't know that your watch is a telecommunicator of some sort? I saw Fermat use it to call up your brother…John, I think his name was, and asked for help. And I can take the chance of you calling the feds right now while we are on the road."

"What about the fact that you promised my father that you were going to let me go once we were far away from the federal building, because frankly I'm not in the mood to go on a road trip with my kidnapper," Virgil said snarky.

Alan held back the urge to roll his eyes over that comment before he sighed and maturely answered the comment, "You want me to drop you off here in the middle of nowhere? Seriously, the chances of you encountering suspicious people on the road are too big and most likely end up being mugged and punched to a plump. And I can't have that on my conscience."

"But you can have kidnapping on your conscience," Virgil said bluntly. "And by the way, do you think I'm some kind of weakling? I have served the military, so I know how to fight and defend myself."

Alan couldn't help but snort over his response. He didn't doubt for a second that he couldn't defend himself and he could see that a mile away that he had military discipline thoroughly incorporated into his body.

"I don't doubt that, but honestly you would be a target nevertheless since you stand out like a fish on land. Besides I promised your dad that I would keep you safe and unharmed until you were returned back to them, and I have every intention to fulfill my promise, but I would rather let you go somewhere I know was safe than somewhere in the middle of nowhere," He explained seriously, hoping that Virgil actually saw his reasoning and didn't make a big deal about it.

Virgil was quiet for a moment, appeared to be almost surprised and awed by his response, which Alan didn't really understand what was the big deal, but then Virgil asked quietly, "Why? Why do you care about what happens to me? You don't really know me."  
"And you don't know me," Alan pointed out. "And I care because…"

Honestly, he didn't know why he cared. There was something that pulled him to Virgil, made him want to protect and care about him, which didn't make any sense at all. He liked the older man well enough, if you overlook the whole kidnapping thing, but that didn't mean he should feel something like that from some stranger he had just 'met' and forced into their current situation. But the truth was that he indeed felt strongly about this and couldn't really answer him, so instead he changed the subject and simply stated, "Look, let's just drive to New York without a hitch. Once we are there we'll part our ways and hopefully we never have to see each other again, good?"

Virgil growled an untranslatable response, which he took as a form of agreement to his notion, and then returned his focus back on the darkening road in front of him, even though his mind was still lingering on his troubled past and how he was supposed to fix everything.

* * *

It really didn't come as a surprise to him that the feds found out about the mystery to Alan's origins, no matter what anyone assumed it really wasn't a national guarded secret, but he didn't think that out of the four federal agents working the case it would be Agent Farrell who would find out and confront him about it. At least not that quickly since he had just filled up his mug with coffee for third time just this last hour when the woman walked up to him. He had been about to make some smartass comment, but was almost immediately interrupted with her exclaiming, "Were you ever going to tell us that Alan was adopted four years ago and that there are no information on him before he came into your custody?"

Jem had been caught of guard, that he would admit and how impressed he was over how quick and blunt she was, but he wasn't about to make her job easier for her since she was most likely going to use it against Alan. So he responded with a light and cocky attitude, "Gee, I don't know, maybe its because it was none of your guys' business and as I told you earlier neither I or my sister have any intention in helping you in gathering dirt on Alan, especially since you are doing such fine job on your own."

"He is a criminal, kidnapped somebody to escape custody!" Agent Farrell pointed out. "Sorry if I don't take the time to work on finding the list of Alan's good deeds."

Jem snorted, "So what is it you want to yell to me about? What exactly do you want to know?"

Agent Farrell glared at him and placed her hands on her hips and asked bluntly, "Who was Alan before he came to live with you? What caused him to become the person he is now?"

Her question was definitely not something he wanted to answer, so he shrugged his shoulders and replied, "It's a bloody mystery to me."

"Don't lie to me," She looked at him with dark eyes, which almost scared the mind out of him. "You know it, don't you?"

He didn't say anything this time, but it was obvious that she had taken his silence as confirmation to her question. So she sighed and said tiredly, "The only thing I found out about him before he came into your care was that Alan was admitted to the hospital. Will you tell me what he was in for?"

He shook his head; once again he didn't want to give them the explanation that Alan had or have amnesia and was only now starting to remember his horrible past. It was hard enough for him and Haley to know the truth and how it affected Alan, but should the feds and the Tracys learn about this then he feared a disaster would happen. So he answered, "Sorry, but honestly don't want to tell you. And if you wish to look into his medical files then you got to either have my consent, which I'm not giving, or you get a warrant."

Once again she glared at him hard, murmuring something about making her job a lot harder than it was worth, but nevertheless she walked away and pulled out her phone to call to get a warrant, leaving him alone with his concern over how long he was able to keep things as secret as they were now.

* * *

The usual noise of cheers and happy cries was coming the other room, which was more than disturbing, but it was still quiet enough for her to accept the phone call that had been buzzing for hours. She knew who it was and it annoyed her to no end how he didn't understand that she was busy working, but she also knew that he wouldn't stop until she accepted the call. And besides it could be worse, he might decide to come down personally to talk to her, something she was definitely not interested in since she rather have as little contact with him as possible. So she ran an annoyed hand through her dark hair and answered the phone, "What do you want?"

"Nice to hear your wonderful voice too, Temptress," Vinnie chuckled. "Didn't think you would miss me after so long."  
She wanted nothing more to end this conversation, so she hissed into the phone, "What is it that you want? I have to get back to work."

"Fine," Vinnie said sort of hurt, but she couldn't care less. "The Boss thought you should know that the Ghost is on his way to you."

Hearing that name made her almost drop the phone to the ground, but somehow managed to catch herself. It has been so long since she had heard that name and different feelings were coursing through her like an uncontrollable train like worry, care, hurt, affection and most apparent anger. A lot of things happened four years ago, but that didn't make it any easier now.

"Why?" she asked once she was over the initial shock over the news. "Why come back after all this time?"

Vinnie didn't give her any clear answer, not that he ever did whenever it came to orders from the big boss himself, but he only said, "Because you are the clue to get him to come back to us."

An indirect answer again, which really frustrated her, but if what he was saying was true then she was going to get her answers once Alan showed up at her door. It would mean that she could finally deal with all of these unresolved emotions and finally move on from that place, but she was almost certain that her reunion with Alan was going to be anything but pleasant. At least at first that is. So she sighed heavily before she asked for the directions Vinnie was supposed to give her from the boss as well as any back up plan they may have in store. The conversation lasted just for a couple of minutes before she hung up and returned back to work. However now she had exactly a plan in mind to welcome her old friend and co-worker, and it was going to be grand that was for sure.

* * *

Jeff wasn't certain what to think about the whole situation, even though they were not supposed to be working actively to help the FBI with their job regarding the return of Virgil and Fermat, they did it no matter what they were told or ordered to do. Mostly it was fine, but Scott was still angry with him, obviously blaming him for letting Alan take Virgil, but he didn't try and defend his actions to his oldest son because honestly even he didn't understand why he had allowed it to happen. And he was pretty sure that no matter what answer he gave him wouldn't justify or sooth his son the slightest anyway.

He was standing in the background, watching Scott attempting to talk to the younger Cassidy sibling, Haley he believed her name was, who was desperately trying to keep him at an arm length. He found the action odd, seeing as he remembered that his oldest was once in a relationship with her but broke up for some reason Scott hadn't been willing to share. He moved his gaze to look at Brains, John and Gordon, attempting to try and track Virgil down through his wristwatch, but was not having much luck. Most likely that Alan figured out about the device and turned it off.

Then he turned his eyes on the other Cassidy sibling, the one who was Scott's friend, though he wasn't sure if their friendship were on a pause at the moment to do the difficult circumstance that was currently happening. Nevertheless he looked deep in thought and Jeff was almost certain that he knew more than he showed, but he had no evidence to confront him about it yet so it was no good idea to talk to him about it since he probably wouldn't talk.

He was completely lost in thought that he didn't notice at first that Penny was trying to get his attention until she was calling his name over and over. When he snapped out of it he turned to look at his friend and asked, "What is it, Penny? Have you found something interesting?"

"I have indeed found something, pretty interesting and peculiar if I may say so myself," She replied with the strong and polite voice that she always used whenever she was deeply focused the job. She waved her hand, signaling him to come to her side and look at the computer in front of her. He complied silently and walked up to her side and looked down at the screen. It was the interrogation tape, but he couldn't honestly understand what she found fascinating about it especially since there was no sound.

"What?" Jeff asked, turned his head to look at her with a questionable face. "What am I supposed to look at?"

She pointed with her nicely manicured finger at the timestamp and said, "Look at the time."

Then she sped up the video, and during that period he watched closely at the time when he too noticed something strange about the video.

"It's missing a couple of minutes," He stated shocked. There was missing five minutes between when the interrogation ended and till Alan began picking his handcuffs. It was strange that no one had noticed that before.

"Exactly, and I think I know why," Penelope explained. "The sound and picture is kind of blurry during those five minutes, probably due to some kind of jammer, but we can clearly see the frame of someone else enter the room to talk to him."

Again he hadn't noticed before, but there was indeed a large frame of a person entering and talking to the young man before he left shortly after that. And from what he could gather from Alan's facial expression the boy wasn't happy to see who it was either.

"You think this stranger has something to do with this?" Jeff asked, which Penelope confirmed by nodding her head and answered, "Yes, I do. Now we only have to find out who this person was and then we can get somewhere."

Jeff agreed to her notion and requested that she allowed Brains to look at it. If there was anyone who could make miracles happens with a computer then it was Brains. Penelope had no issues about his request and immediately called for Brains assistance on the matter, leaving him alone looking at the computer screen. He wasn't sure what it was, but he felt an ominous feeling about this stranger and his involvement in this whole charade, which is why he could only hope that his feelings were wrong.

* * *

This was starting to get ridiculous, Virgil thought to himself as Alan slowed down the car once he saw the roadblocks with police officers stopped to check everyone out, which he assumed was because they were out to look for them. In the normal sense this was good thing, but being on the other end meant that Alan had to do something or else they were going to get caught. And what Alan suggested was far as rational and sensible as you could get, hence the ridiculous part.

Alan thought out an act that would get them pass the cops, which could have worked if he had been alone in the car, but unfortunately for both of them that he was in the car and frankly wasn't going to help his kidnapper out.

"Come on," Alan said with that annoying begging sound that he had heard so many times from Gordon growing up. "It is simple. You don't have to say or do anything, just look the part and then we are good to go."

Defiantly, he shook his head and answered, "I'm not helping you get away from the cops. No way. Do it yourself since it is your fault that I'm involved in this."

Alan responded by letting out an exasperated sigh, "Look, it is either do as I say or I knock you out again. Which is it?"

Neither of those two alternatives sounded good to him, but he rather be in control and know what was going on than laying in the backseat unconscious for heaven knows how long. So he gave in and grumbled an annoyed reply. It was frustrating how he easily fell into the command of a wayward teenager. Alan on the other hand grinned happily before he began using one free hand to search for something in front of the car. Meanwhile Virgil began making his disguise, which consisted in a black cap that covered his brown hair entirely, when Alan finally found what he was looking for he stopped the car for a moment and covered the front view mirror to do something. Virgil noticed that the kid fixed his hair, making it messier and more tangled than it already was. Once he was done he started the car again and he leaned in to see what exactly he had done and he was definitely taken by surprise when what he had doing. If he ever mistaken the young teen for having feminine traits before and looking like his dead mother, well he wasn't mistaken now when the kid wore makeup on around his eyes and lips. It was freakishly amazing and scaring to see how much Alan looked like a woman, that is why he said shocked, "Oh my God."

"Please don't say a word," Alan said exasperated. Probably because he was embarrassed and most likely felt ashamed to have to use his one frequent disadvantage that everyone mistook him for being a girl to his advantage now. "Let's get this over with. And you will shut up about this and keep it that way till you are underneath a tombstone. Got it?"

Virgil nodded, though he wasn't sure how much he could promise to stay quiet about the fact that his kidnapper had gone as far as cross-dressing to escape the government in his quest, but nevertheless they drove till they were stopped by the cops. One officer walked up to the driver seat window and said monotony, "License and registration?"

How Alan was supposed to pull that off was a mystery to him, but he let the kid run the show and see how far he would get with his antics.

"Sorry, officer," Alan said with a charming grin and surprisingly a light female voice, though it still sounded a little fake considering the circumstances. "I was just driving my brother, Gus, here home since he have been drinking."

Then Alan began his elaborate and detailed how he ended up driving without his license and registration, and honestly he couldn't believe that the officer didn't find this whole thing strange since he actually looked like he believed this act that Alan was selling. Virgil grunted over being called 'Gus' and was annoyed that he was being ignored like he was a piece of wallpaper, but then again the officer probably liked what he saw with Alan as disturbing as that was.

After what seemed like hours the officer let them through and even gave Alan his number and asked him to call him later, which Alan gave him a fake and strained smile to before he hit the gas pedal and drove as fast as he could away from the scene. Then when they were out of the police's eyeshot Alan let out a relived breath and mumbled something that sounded like, "I can't believe that actually worked."

Virgil gave him a glare that literally said 'really' and Alan just awkwardly smiled back at him. He removed the hat from his head and afterwards trying to brush it into a maintained hairstyle when he grumbled, "Why did you call me Gus anyways?"  
Alan stared at him through the front mirror before he tilted his head and answered, "It is your name, isn't it?"

"What?" Virgil looked peculiar at him. "No! Why would you think that?"

The kid gave him a conceited smile and replied, "Your license stated your full name was Virgil Grissom Tracy, and I distinctively remember reading about the astronaut you were named after had the nickname, Gus, based on his last name."

He wasn't sure how to make out of this kid. Seriously, he wasn't sure whether he should be amazed or worried that the kid knew that he was named after one of the Mercury 7 astronauts or the fact that he actually read about astronauts in the first place, because frankly he really didn't seem like the bookworm-reading-type. But then again looks can be deceiving, which Alan making a point on.

They continued to bicker back and forth about the whole thing with the cops and it was only pure luck that it actually worked in the first place, Alan didn't necessary disagree about that fact, but it had also been more than luck that the cop hadn't realized that he had been flirting and given his number to teenage boy instead of a hot chick. The kid just shuddered by the thought what had happened back there and it was clear as day that it made him more than uncomfortable, which is why Virgil used it for what it was worth and teased him about it like if he had been with one of his brothers.

Anyways they continued driving on their path to New York City, both not knowing what to expect or face once they arrived to the Big Apple.

**.**

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**Thanks again for the response I have been receiving, hope you guys like this chapter. **

**So since school has already started I can't promise when or how often I will be updating on this story, but I will continue it and write on it during the few moments I have time to spare and write. **

**And as for those of you who reads my other TB story, _Whispers In The Dark,_ I will be trying to weekly update the story on Mondays, but again I can't promise I will always be on time since I will be busy.**

**With that said, please please please continue giving me reviews, favorite and/or followings, and the next chapter will be out as soon as its done. **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	12. A Shocking Discovery

**11\. A Shocking Discovery**

Manhattan proved to be exactly what he expected it to be, very bright and very loud. Two things that Alan seriously didn't need at the moment, but destiny was being a witch to decide that Renée had to be in one of the places where it was practically impossible to stay hidden for long, especially when you had the FBI and the Golden Cobra on his butt. Luckily for him that his old co-worker was located somewhere the law enforcement wouldn't think to look for him or Virgil and if they did than they were going to have hard time since where they were going was shady and a common place for prostitutes, brothels and fetish clubs.

"So tell me where exactly does your old co-worker work?" Virgil said before he stepped to the sidewalk to avoid running into one of the many drunks or high people walking around. Alan had ditched the car earlier, thinking that it was smarter to get around by foot from here since it would by him some time to avoid detection and also avoid too much unwanted attention and with that car you were practically asking for it. As for Virgil coming along to see Renee…well the argument that the young man would draw unwanted attention seemed to be weighing heavier than the argument that Virgil would be in the way. Weighting his options only proved that either way he was screwed should anyone discover either of them, but bringing Virgil along he had some control and could keep an eye on him to make sure that he didn't call the cops or draw Vinnie and his goons attention who were bound to be around to greet him. If he remembered his old boss correctly, which he unfortunately did, the man was bound to make the whole scavenger hunt a lot more difficult and complicated by adding a few obstacles along the way. Just like a twisted play master that he was and Alan hated everything that reminded him of that horrible man who gave him the painful and terrible upbringing.

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure if my description would smooth the already disturbing picture you probably have formed in your head," Alan said before he turned the street corner, dragging a handcuffed Virgil with him. "And besides its not where she works I'm worried about. Rather the fact that my old co-worker is, like the others I have met up till now, not going to greet my reunion with open arms. If I had to assume anything they would try to test my skills or eliminate me from existence."

Virgil didn't say anything, but his expressed showed how his comment disturbed him. Not that he could blame him since just the thought of it made Alan unintentionally rub his hands where his scars resided.

They walked a couple of feet before they stopped in front of red painted door with no signs or anything that could explain what kind of place it was. Though the location on the FBI database hadn't been very accurate or descriptive to the least, there was enough to track down where she resided and also which area she had been seen based on the few arrest charges that really didn't stick in the end due to lack of evidence. Either way Renée's hideout was a perfect cover to avoid the law enforcement and other potential threats coming up her door, but what amazed Alan was the fact that she or however she worked with managed to keep their business by hiding in plain sight while giving off all the clues necessary to find it in the first place. It was a genius cover front and the whole idea behind it almost screamed Renee and her cunning little mind.

After gathering his courage, he knocked hard and determined on the door before he distanced himself from the door and stood closely next to Virgil, who actually was smart enough to figure out to shut up at the moment, but Alan was certain it was more due to gain information and later on gain control what would happen next. Needless to say that the older man's plan was predictable, but the circumstances were anything except that so he really should hope much. Anyways the door opened and an Asian-looking woman dressed in very revealing clothes appeared, "What do you want? If you are here to look for a job then I have to say we don't hire. So take your girl and look somewhere else."

Both Alan and Virgil frowned by the woman's words. Apparently she thought that Virgil was a pimp and he was the girl that was looking for a gig that literally screwed up their minds by the thought of it. Either way Alan wasn't sure whether was going to punch the woman or not for thinking that he was a girl and also a prostitute.

"No-no-no," Alan denied and ran an exasperated hand through his hair. "I'm looking for Renée Belvoir, my sources told me she was here."

"Sorry, there is no one here by that name," The woman answered and didn't waste time trying to close the door and ultimately ending the conversation from prolonging any further. Unfortunately for her that he wasn't really in the mood to be playing games so he grabbed the door in one fast movement and stopped it and replied seriously annoyed, "Look, I'm seriously not in the mood for this. So let's try this again shall we? I'm looking for Renée Belvoir or you might know her as the Temptress. I'm sure she told you about me coming, but if you really need the confirmation that I am who I say I am well…fine. Here it is, 'the Ghost is back to haunt her again' so is that good enough for you?"

The woman blinked her eyes confused before she placed two fingers to her left ear, obviously wearing an earpiece courtesy to Renée and the whole organizations safety as well as their plan what to happens when he stepped into the other side of that door. He was literally about to walk into the first level of hell and the thought about what was going to happen both scared him but also drives him to continue despite the fear and the pain.

It took a few moments before the woman nodded and allowed him and Virgil inside, both totally unaware what to find and to expect once they were on the inside, but whatever was coming their way neither Alan or Virgil ran away.

* * *

He knew immediately something was wrong when the Boss came back into the room and decided to show him something on one of the big monitors. Fermat had no clue what it was, but based on the reaction he saw on Blaze he knew that it was nothing good. Blaze argued and demanded the older man to stop, but the Boss just shrugged his shoulder like he had no care in the world and said, "Come on, Blaze. Be a good sport here. I'm sure Fermat is curious over whom or to be exact what Alan is and everything he did before he left. And besides you are in no position to ask or demand anything."

The last sentence was delivered with so much terrifying power that it made Fermat shiver. And it didn't go away either when he tried to rub his arms over and over again. In honest opinion, he was terrified of this man and wasn't completely sure if he was more terrified when he was calm and easy-going or when he was showing his true colors. And it seemed like it was the same for Blaze since he stayed quiet and allowed the man to do what he wanted with no further argument. They all waited for a moment before all the attention went to the previous black screen that was now exchanged with a video feed that looked like it was a couple of years old. Still the minute the video started Fermat regretted it and regretted it even more that he continued to watch with huge shocking eyes.

The video first showed what seemed like a training session of some kind, though he recognized the movements they did were both from military and martial arts training mixed together. However it wasn't the moves he was focused on, no it was the three young children instead. Two of the three kids looked to be on the brick of puberty while the last one looked to be around eight or ten years old, but their age didn't really matter since there was men who were both older and a lot stronger beating them up. Each time the kids continued to fight on and tried to win the match, though they failed most of the time, but the youngest was both the most reluctant to fight back and also the one who was seemingly the best of them. The boy was also the one that was being beaten the hardest. Later on the video changed into a sparring match between the young kids fighting each other, but the other difference between this one and the last on was that those kids were armed with lethal weapons and were attacking each other and they were fighting in a way that they were just on the brick of one of them actually killing the other. There was so much blood and pain going on and yet the young boy continued to fight, but never attacked his opponent once he realized how close that person was to be dead. And he continued to watch in silence, catching Blaze flinch a couple of times from the corner of his eyes, and when the video showed the young boy barely dodging a surprise attack Fermat began to notice the similarities and realized the young boy was actually his best friend. The Boss must have noticed his realization too because he commented, "Looks like Mr. Hackenbacker have finally caught on, then its time to show you how different you and Alan really are and how you two can never live in the same world as you have done up till now."

Before he had the chance to ask the video changed once again and now Alan, and what he guessed was probably Blaze based how the older teen reacted, and the last unknown person in the video was older and now was doing cons and theft like they were professionally trained for the CIA or something. It was insane how efficient and fast everything was happening. The video continued on showing harsh and brutal training sessions done with expectation of perfection before it moved on to sequences to show what the hard training was supposed to be used for. High-security thefts and cons were mainly what three kids or rather teenagers did and could do with much damage and still got away with it every single time. However the one thing that probably took his breath away was the empty look on Alan's face. His best friend looked lost and lifeless compared to the teen he first met and yet when you looked into the younger Alan's eyes you could still see there was a human and someone desperate to survive despite the horrible situation he was in. The Boss was right; he and Alan indeed was very different and came from totally different worlds, but he was wrong about the last part regarding that they could never live in the same world. Fermat realized and finally understood what kind of nightmare Alan had lived through for years before he got away and came to live with the Cassidys. All the fear and pain he lived through and how he was willing to sacrifice everything for him really showed him that Alan was better and worth more than what the Boss and everyone else believed. It was and still is really an honor to be Alan's friend and nothing they showed or did to him would ever change that. So once the video finished both the Boss and Blaze turned to look at him, waiting to see his reaction to everything he had just seen and they were surprised that with heart-breaking smile he said, "I-If you t-thought I c-c-could turn a-away and c-change my m-mind about Alan after s-seeing this, then you are g-greatly m-mistaken. I'm p-proud of h-him and I-I know that h-he is a b-better man t-than you c-can ever be."

Probably not a good thing to piss of the man, but oddly enough he wasn't afraid how the older man would react because he didn't regret his words and spoke the truth, something he was honestly not ashamed off.

The Boss stared at him for a moment, practically staring at him like he had a second-grown head or something, before he left the room in an angry haste. Leaving him once again in the silent company of Blaze, who honestly looked just shocked and refused to look at him, which was fine by him because now regained something he at first hadn't thought that he had lost during his captivity and only regained it after watching the video. It was hope. Hope for a new tomorrow and a better future.

* * *

It was as clear as day that finding Virgil and Fermat was a difficult mission, especially since there was no clear leads where or who exactly the kidnappers were other than Alan. Still everyone in the room that wasn't the FBI or Lady Penelope were anxious and simply wanted to leave the building and go and look for them themselves, but seeing as no one had any idea where Virgil and Alan or even where they should start looking. So their odds were pretty much against them at this point, however that didn't mean they were losing hope.

Not at all if there was someone in the room that continued to remain strong and hopeful that the three individuals were still alive and well were surprisingly the Cassidy siblings. Though they were also the only ones in the room that firmly believed Alan was an unfortunate part in all this.

"Come on, think Jem. Where would Alan take Virgil?" Scott threw his arms in the air and once again tried to get Jem and Haley to talk into given up the information they were keeping regarding Alan. Unfortunately neither of them budged the slightest and after an hour with the hovering from Scott the older Cassidy siblings exclaimed annoyed, "Will you please just shut up! I don't know where Alan is or where the hell he would take Virgil and if I did I wouldn't be sitting here listening to everyone badmouthing and threating him like he is the worst human being in the world."

Jeff rubbed his forehead like he was seriously having a major headache, which ironically he was starting to have due to all the shouting and angry tension that was lingering in the air. And if that was not enough he couldn't stop shaking the feelings he had when he came face to face with the sixteen-year-old who ultimately kidnapped his son. There was something about him, something he couldn't put his finger on what it was exactly, but it was some kind of connection he felt. What kind of connection he had no clue, but he really shouldn't be thinking about his son's kidnapper and instead be focusing on getting everyone back. However no one was of any use at moment since everyone was exhausted and tired after everything that has happened and hasn't taken the chance to eat and rest despite the free time on their hands, which is why Jeff said despite his own reluctance to follow through with his own suggestion, "All right, we all are too tense and tired at the moment and seriously no help for the FBI or Penny at the moment. So I suggest everyone, and I mean everyone, take a few hours to eat and rest giving the professionals the time and space to their jobs without any of us hovering and disturbing them by taking their attention away."

Just as expected no one, including the Cassidy siblings, wanted to do as he suggested. The loudest one to disagree was without surprise Scott, but in honest opinion Jeff didn't care what anyone wanted or thought about the matter because his tone changed and basically ordered them all to do as he said or else he would personally make sure they were asleep in a manner of seconds. Luckily everyone took his suggestion and threat seriously, though very begrudgingly and it didn't take long before they all one by one fell asleep including him. However his sleep were still plagued by the lingering thoughts about Fermat, Virgil and the strange yet familiar teen who was the center of everything.

* * *

His kidnapper proved to be one hell of a stubborn pig-head. Once he and Alan came inside what he would call a fine establishment for horny men, the kid actually suggested leaving him behind to wait in the hallway while he spoke to this Renée person. Just the thought to have to endure and listen to everything that was going on in the not-so-soundproof rooms made him want to kill himself just to spare him from the shame and embarrassment. Luckily for him that he was and could be just as stubborn as Alan and wouldn't give in unless he did as he demanded, which after exchanging some heated words the kid finally did and they walked down a barely-lit hallway that was far from the main house and its events before they entered the only door at the end of the hallway. Once they entered the huge spacy room the door was closed immediately behind them, surprising them both as they watched the door slam behind them. Only seconds later they heard the clacking sound of high heels walking on the hard floor and stepped out of the shadows and said with a void in her tone, "So it really was true. You're back after four years."

The young woman was incredibly beautiful and had the charm to lure a hundred men even without dressing up for the part, which she didn't at the moment, and he guessed that she was around his or Gordon's age but he couldn't really be certain by just looking at her. Besides her age really didn't matter because he could barely take his eyes of her, and not due to him finding her attractive, but because he couldn't really see the connection between her and Alan. They weren't siblings or lovers and certainly not just co-workers as Alan explained to him. Her body language showed that she cared about him immensely but felt conflicted what to feel about him. So what was the thing that connected these two individuals together?

She didn't look at him at all instead had her full attention on Alan, who sighed heavily before he said, "Yeah, I have involuntary been pulled out of my retirement and now is forced to deal with this crap again because they took something important to me and I want it back."

It wasn't hard to guess that Alan was talking about Fermat, after all he had seen and heard many times now that the thing that motivated Alan to do this whole mess was to get Fermat back and honestly didn't seem to care the slightest that the path he was taking was literally destroying his future, but then again he would have probably done the same had it been one of his brothers too.

"Well…I guess I just have to decline what you are really trying to ask me and instead remind you what exactly we have been trained to do," The woman didn't waste time before ran in quick strides towards Alan and lifted her leg and swung it in order to kick him in the head so he would lose his balance. Almost automatically Alan dodged the attack and immediately attacked back. Then the whole fight began and continued on so quick that it was hard to keep track of everything that was happening because they were fighting each other with insanely quick and powerful movements. Figuring that it was best that he didn't get involved in it, he stood by the sidelines and watching with both awe and concern. For about an hour they continued fighting, which resulted in blood and bruises on both on them, and things remained like this until the woman stopped in a middle of an attack and pulled out a hidden knife from the inner pocket of her jacket and then in one single movement stabbed Alan in the stomach. Alan flinched from the pain and almost immediately went down on the floor, holding a hand over the wound.

"Oh my…are you okay?" Virgil acted without thinking and dove into his kidnapper's rescue. Alan just groaned in pain, ignoring his medic expertise and instead just glared at the woman with anger and sneered, "What the hell is your problem? It was an honest fight and in the middle of it you decide to cheat and stab me. Seriously, Renée, I get that you are pissed at me for what I don't know, but I need your information where they are keeping my friend."

"You left us and didn't even bother to look back," Renée broke down, clenching the grip on the knife tighter. "Four years and nothing. Both Blaze and I were your family for nine years, but you left us like we didn't matter and were left with trying to fill your place afterwards."

Putting pressure on the wound, Virgil was mainly focusing on making sure he didn't bleed out and die since he really didn't want a sixteen-year-olds death on his conscience despite the fact he was actually trying to save his kidnapper, but somehow he managed to listen in on their broken conversation and intrigued what exactly happened and more importantly what was going on in the first place.

"How was I supposed to return and bring you with me when my escape resulted in me receiving a head injury and amnesia, so I forgot everything about life other than my name and my age?" Alan exclaimed at her. That took Virgil completely by surprise. Was what Alan had just admitted true? Did this kid not know his true identity?

Apparently Renée was just as surprised and shocked about the admittance as he was since she dropped the knife and the loud sound of the weapon hitting the hard floor resonated through out the entire room and stuttered, "W-what? You d-d-didn't remember? Still don't remember anything? Oh Mon Dieu."

She placed both of her hands over her face, covering her distraught and heartbroken facial expression even though both he and Alan was well aware was still there. Alan looked just as distraught and regretful about everything that was going on between them and said wearily, "Look, I have only recently gotten my memory back, and not everything explains the holes that has yet to be fulfilled, but right now that is the least of my problems seeing as my friend is being dragged into my old life and might end up being in danger because of me so I'm asking you again Renée tell me where he is."

Renée didn't say anything at first; though once she uncovered her face you could see that she was thinking and weighting her options what to do about the matter before she answered, "All right…I'll help you."

Then she went down to his side and leaned into his ear and whisper quietly so that Virgil wouldn't be able to hear what she was saying. When she pulled away and she responded more quiet and seriously, "You need to leave now. They are watching every entrance around this facility and are determined to make sure you wouldn't be able to reach your destination. So take your…friend and get out of here before it is too late."

Virgil wanted to argue seeing as Alan was injured and really shouldn't be up and moving around since it might worsen his condition, but Alan ignored all reason and thanked her for her help, gave her a hug while murmuring some soft words into her ear that he couldn't hear before he carefully began walking away. Virgil saw that the kid was struggling to move fast enough at the same time make sure he wouldn't bleed out and die, so once again he swore to himself for being an idiot for helping him out before he came up to his side and together walked out of the room. Even though their exit weren't at all smooth and peaceful as he wanted it to be.

* * *

Alan had trouble remembering how he and Virgil got out of that place and found a cheap motel to stay for the night, but he could remember the pain and the adrenaline from when the two of them were stopped from leaving the facility. Vinnie had obviously made sure to put some of his goons on them to make sure that they didn't escape. Why exactly he had no idea, but despite his injury and Virgil's desperate words to stop him he fought them off while creating a huge scene, which resulted capturing the cops attention. So to avoid detection they blended into the crowd and in the end ended up in a cheap and dark motel room. His conscious slipped back and forth for a while, not completely sure how long he was out, but when he finally woke up again and this time didn't feel the same slippery feeling as he had done since Renée stabbed him, he found himself on the not-so-comfortable bed and Virgil sleeping silently in the armchair next to him.

Embarrassed, he sat up in the bed while in the process of doing so felt a pain coming from his abdomen. Though not necessary concerned about his injury, he looked down and saw it was neatly bandaged and no blood seeping through the white fabric indicating that his wound and the blood had been taken care off. Alan suspected that Virgil had a hand to do with this, and his suspicion only proved to be more right when he saw that the older man didn't have his hands cuffed anymore most likely due to him snagging the keys from his jacket while he was unconscious, which left him with the question why Virgil hadn't taken his chance and escaped while he was still out and bleeding out?

As he thought this, he missed to notice Virgil waking up from his slumber before he said sort of relieved, "Good you're awake. I was worried that you had lost too much blood on our way here and when I left to buy bandages and such I wasn't sure even if I tried to do anything you would make it through, but I guess you did."

Alan blinked his eyes a couple of times, seriously confused, "Yeah, I'm sort of difficult to kill if you haven't noticed. And thank you…for saving my life even though you probably didn't want especially after I kidnapped you."

Virgil looked conflicted about that last part, almost like he was just now remembering whom he had just saved, but then he replied quietly, "That's what we do. My family and I help people, even those who don't serve it. Now you better get back to sleep, you are still not completely healed and I don't want you to drop dead since I really don't want your death on my conscience."

Oddly enough Alan felt tired and ultimately agreed with Virgil's notion until the man began humming a strange yet a familiar tune, which somehow activated a memory flash. Pain coursing through his brain, he grabbed his head and shook it in order to make the pain stop, which it didn't and instead allowed the memory to play out in his mind.

_(Flashback)_

_He was around three or four years old at the time, just woken up from one of his nightmares and were too scared to fall back asleep alone. So he snuck out of his room and with his short legs he stumbled into the empty hallway and entered the room just two doors away from him. The door opened with a loud noise, loud enough to wake up the two brothers residing in the room. _

_"Sprout?" The oldest yet youthful brother asked half-awake. He rubbed his eyes to shake off the sleepiness. "What are you doing up? You're supposed to be asleep. Did you have one of your nightmares again?"_

_He nodded and he could feel the tears building up in his eyes, "Scotty, Virgie. Please sing me my lullaby."_

_The other brother, Virgie, chuckled lightly and gestured him to approach him and come to sleep in his bed. He didn't argue and literally jump into his brother's bed and waited in excitement. Scotty began humming a soft and gently tone before Virgie started singing his lullaby. Slowly his eyes dropped and soon enough he was fast asleep again, but just before he was completely in dreamland he murmured out loud, "My brothers are the best in the whole wide world."_

_Then the sound of lightly chuckling was the last thing he remembered before darkness and silence followed after. _

His eyes were wide and in shock over the flashback he just had. Before he only remembered the past that involved working for the organization, but this was a memory that was from his life before it began crappy and things turned out the way they did. He had a family in this world, even older brothers, and he didn't know or remember them. The realization was practically shaking him with so many emotions that he honestly didn't know which way to turn. And he didn't snap out of it until he felt Virgil's warm hand on his shoulder and almost exclaimed in concern, "Hey. Are you all right?"

Hearing his voice and actually looking at him Alan became more shocked that his words were lost in his throat. The feeling he had before about Virgil and how he felt this odd kinship towards him came crashing down like an airplane. It was insane how he didn't recognize him before now, even more so how crazy it all seemed. The person who he had kidnapped and the person who had just saved his life wasn't some strange kid he met only a few hours ago. No, the man in front of him was in fact his older brother.

* * *

Jem had been sleeping soundly in the most uncomfortable he has ever slept in when his phone started to vibrate. He had turned off the sound so it wouldn't disturb and wake up anyone else, even though he should have just turned the phone off in the first place to spare the trouble. So he reached for his phone to see who was calling, only to get an unknown number. Without really thinking about the potential consequences to answer the call, he answered the call and said, "Hello, Cassidy here."

"Jem…"

It took a moment to recognize the voice, especially due to the disturbance on the other side of the line, but there was no mistaken who exactly he was talking to on the phone. Stunned, he managed to say, "Alan?"

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**Thanks again for the response I have been receiving, hope you guys like this chapter. **

**So since school has already started I can't promise when or how often I will be updating on this story, but I will continue it and write on it during the few moments I have time to spare and write. **

**And as for those of you who reads my other TB story, _Whispers In The Dark,_ I will be trying to weekly update the story on Mondays, but again I can't promise I will always be on time since I will be busy.**

**Sorry by the way that this chapter was sort of written fast, but I needed to get on with the story. And seeing as people have been asking about the revealing of Alan's identity, I'm happy to inform you that it will happen in one of the next chapters. So please, please, please continue reading and express what you think of my work because otherwise I might be dejected and more reluctant to continue and finish this story, which I really do want to finish. **

**With that said, please please please continue giving me reviews, favorite and/or followings, and the next chapter will be out as soon as its done. **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	13. Cats Out Of The Bag Now

**12\. Cats Out Of The Bag Now**

Sunlight from the window woke him from his slumber. Virgil had not even realized that he had fallen asleep after he tended to Alan's care. Speaking of that kid, he should be needing to change his bandages right about now so he had to open up his eyes despite the fact that he really-really wasn't a morning bird and in actuality just wanted to lay back down on the bed and sleep until noon. However when he turned his gaze towards the bed where the kid was supposed to be lying he found the bed empty and nicely folded. He placed a hand on the bed to see whether it was warm or cold. The bed was cold so there was no indication that the bed had been slept in recently, which he found overly suspicious and decided to check around the room to find him. Shockingly, Alan wasn't in the bathroom or hiding anywhere else in the room, he had searched the room from top to bottom and found nothing. Could the kid have decided to leave without telling him?

Something inside of him was causing him pain. What could it be? Was he hurt because the kid had ventured off alone with his injury or was it because he had practically abandoned him alone without a goodbye?

Nothing made any sense to him. Alan was his kidnapper, who had taken him away from his family against his will just to get a way to escape. Their relationship didn't go beyond that. They weren't friends or even acquaintances. So he shouldn't sad or hurt over Alan's sudden and unannounced disappearance, but no matter how much he tried to deny it his feelings didn't change or simplify the matter. As weird as it might seem he liked the kid, he reminded him of a younger sibling like Gordon, both charming and annoying, and would stir up protective behavior that would drive most people mad. Despite those feelings towards the young teen he couldn't put faith in someone who would simply disappear without saying goodbye, which brought back unpleasant memories on his mother and baby brother that left this world in the same manner and before their time.

Virgil shook his head, not wanting to think about such downy memories, and instead decided to find a phone or something and call his family to pick him up. There was no use for him to stay here in this motel room by himself when he could actually return back to his family's side where he belonged. However just as the thought struck his mind someone knocked hard on the door, which he was surprised over that anyone had bothered to knock the door at all since no one at the hotel had paid any attention to what he or Alan had been doing. And he didn't think any of Alan's 'old friends' would bother to follow after him due to the fact that Alan had been clear that they wanted to make the whole situation a game and he was the main player. So why bother messing up the game when things were starting to get interesting? Those were Alan's words, not his.

Nonetheless he walked up to the door and carefully opened it to see who was on the other side of the door, however the moment he had twisted the door handle and pulled it towards him someone forced them inside in a hard and desperate manner, which practically scared the hell out of him. And could blame him when men dressed in bullet-proof wests entered the room forcefully, even if they had the words FBI written on anyone would seriously be taken by surprised maybe even scared the hell out for such an entrance. However his surprise and fright quickly disappeared and was replaced with confusion and relief, especially when he saw the faces Agent Farrell and Agent Emerson, who must have volunteered to be a part the 'rescue' mission. Once the rest of the agents on the task force cleared the room, the two lead agents came up to his side and Agent Farrell asked in a serious yet maternal voice, "Are you all right? He didn't hurt you or anything."

By 'he' they must mean Alan, which sounded really ridiculous to think now despite the fact that he had kidnapped him and putt a gun to his head before, but anyways he shook his head to answer her question. Both of the agents looked relieved and also oddly enough not surprised, something he pointed out and asked them about.

"Even though we didn't have any proof that you were unharmed or even alive Alan Shepard informed and reassured us where you were and gave us his word that you were untouched by him," Agent Emerson answered gruffly, obviously finding the whole behavior the kid was showing to be quite unusual compared to most other criminals, and he wasn't the only one thought the same thing either. "At first we thought that he was playing with us, but we managed to track him down and confirmed his location wasn't far away from where he told us you would be, so we jumped on it and came here as fast as we could."

Virgil nodded his head, understanding and obviously surprised to hear that Alan had contacted the FBI on his own accord and finally explained part of the reason why he wasn't here, but that didn't explain the other part of why he _really _wasn't here.

"Where is Alan anyways? Did he turn himself in?" Virgil asked with both curious and suspicious. And clearly got his answer when neither of the agents answered the question right away and turned to look at each other with the lingering question on their faces that said 'who is going to tell him that the kid didn't turn himself in and we have now no idea where is and most likely wouldn't find him again unless he makes the move or make a mistake.'

After what seemed like a forever moment in awkward and incredibly uncomfortable silence Agent Farrell finally too the jump and said, "He was smart, using a public phone and timed everything while giving himself time for a clean exit before we arrived here. Never mind that for now, it is time to take you back to your family. They all have been very worried about you."

No surprise there they were a close-knit family and all, both on a professional and a personal level, but he didn't argue about it since he did miss them and wanted to get back to his reality and not the craziness without any control.

So shortly afterwards he and the other agents were gathered up and was soon driving back to Massachusetts, but what neither he or the agents knew was that across the street hiding in alley a young teen was watching the scene closely before he vanished from the alley like a ghost with plans that he was more or less ready to execute. It was time for the Ghost to come back and do some haunting for himself.

* * *

At some point he must have fallen asleep. Not exactly sure when, but Fermat woke up in a caught off guard manner when he heard someone shoving a desk over and the heavy object landed hard on the floor. Which probably could wake up the dead, especially when harsh yelling between two men followed it.

"How the hell did you managed to lose him?" the Boss explained angrily at Vinnie and some other goon. "You two were supposed to keep an eye on him, not lose him once he and that Tracy boy was left the Temptress and went to the motel for the rest of the night. So tell me how did this exactly happen?"  
Fermat didn't catch whatever Vinnie and the other guy tried to respond and defend themselves with against this man, but it was clear as day that it was probably something unintelligent on both their parts because the Boss responded back in a sneer, "For your incompetence I suggest that you find him quickly otherwise this game might actually turn in his favor. Now go before decide to take pull apart one of your limbs as punishment instead."

It was easy to figure out that Vinnie and his friend got the message and quickly left the room in a haste that almost made it seem like the devil was chasing them. Ironic really considering that they seemed to be working for the devil, at least to him anyways.

Fermat tried to pretend that he was still sleeping, better that than having to stay awake and face those cruel and terrifying people, which ultimately gave him the opportunity to think what exactly had just happened back there. Not a lot to go on with the little that he had heard from the conversation, but he knew that Alan had done something that had pissed of the Boss gravely, and most likely that something was managing to disappear from their watchful eye even when he had been right under their nose this whole time. He couldn't imagine how he managed to do so, especially when he had no clue how the depth of Alan's abilities went, which left him with the concerning question what happened with Virgil and what were next to come. Knowing Alan, all safety manners from before were disregarded now when he finally has the space to run things his way, and his way Fermat suspect that it happens to be quite completely and absolutely insane.

* * *

Jem was going out of mind with worry and anxiousness. It was so bad that his leg went up and down like he was high on caffeine, which he was in reality, but that was beside the point. Alan had finally called him since everything went down, but instead off trying to explain or thinking about turning himself in to face the consequences for his actions that kid demanded to talk to someone in charge of the investigation. Seriously, this was the first time in months he had talked to the blond-haired kid and the kid didn't want to talk to him at all. That was simply just rude, but then again reprimanding him about it there and then might not solution due to the current situation. He could still recall and continued to remember the conversation and the aftermath of it in his mind.

_(Flashback)_

_"Jem…"_

_It took a moment to recognize the voice, especially due to the disturbance on the other side of the line, but there was no mistaken who exactly he was talking to on the phone. Stunned, he managed to say, "Alan?"_

_"Yeah, it's me," Alan answered with simplistic tone, which definitely didn't fit in anywhere in their current predicament at all. He couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh and asked frustrated, "Where are you? Are you okay? Virgil okay?"_

_There was a short pause before Alan once again responded in the same manner, "Yes, I'm fine and Virgil are fine. As for where I am part…well I was hoping to talk to one of the agents that were in charge of the investigation about it, though I would like to request that it isn't those two agents that interrogated me before. They were seriously useless and wouldn't listen to what I have to say no matter what kind of information I have. And what information I have will most definitely be a significant to them, both to capture the real bad guys and get to me anyways."_

_Insulted over that Alan didn't want to tell or talk to him about it instead wanted to talk to the Feds. That was definitely a blow on the self-confidence, which is why he forced him to tell him where he were or else he might do something indescribable to him as punishment once he finally got his hands on him. Alan definitely didn't look pass the threat and quickly gave him a short version of where they were and where they were staying, but as Jem listened something in the back of his mind didn't exactly take the kid's word about his wellbeing. Call it his cop gut that was talking, but somehow knew that Alan wasn't telling him the entire truth about him being okay. However he shrugged that question away for now, thinking that he would confront him about it later, and instead said forcefully, "I'm going to get someone here and then you are going to tell them everything you and afterwards you are going to turn yourself in and let the professionals deal with this."_

_Alan just gave him 'I couldn't careless' response and Jem quickly put him on hold in order to find Agent Farrell, Agent Emerson or Lady Penelope. Despite everything and his frustration about Alan's way of handling things he would fulfill his request in not asking Agent Monroe and Agent Harrods, especially when he too had a personal dislike towards them and it didn't get any better after they accused Alan's motivation for doing all of this was for the sake of money. What a ridiculous assumption. The kid was a screw up. A completely lovable screw up, who was a former criminal against his will even though he didn't know that before. _

_He didn't find neither of the agents so he went to Lady Penelope, explained the situation as quick and accurate as he could before he handed over the phone and she began removing herself from his presence and continued the phone call between her and Alan._

So here he was waiting impatiently for Lady Penelope to show up and tell him whatever she and Alan talked about, however when she came to delivered his cell phone she shared no useful information to him instead she went off to do lord knows what and minutes later a whole task force was gathered around before they too took off, probably to retrieve Virgil and hopefully to arrest Alan even though the chances of Alan still being on the scene was unlikely. Unfortunately do to all of the commotion the room was making it had woken up the Tracy members, who most definitely didn't waste time in jumping him on what was going on.

"What the hell is happening?" Scott exclaimed before he grabbed his shirt in a tight manner, like he was trying to intimidate him into confessing. Scott could have easily been a cop, had all the instincts and skills for it even though he could get lost in his own emotions, but reality was that he was not a cop or someone who could intimidate him into submission.

"I don't know, okay?" Jem replied hotly. "They may have Virgil's location and they are on their way now to get him."

He didn't mention Alan, knowing fully well that his adoptive brother was not well-liked around the Tracy members as of now and just getting Virgil back wasn't going to change their opinion at this point either. Instead he pushed Scott away and told him that they just had to wait before he and his family could badger the agents later. Thankfully Scott and his family went and did as he suggested and sat down and waited, impatiently, but still waited in silence.

* * *

Hours later the door to the meeting room once again opened and the agents entered, however this time they had another person with them. Virgil entered the room with a happy and relieved smile on his face and began hugging each of his brothers, his dad and Mr. Hackenbacker. However when the young Tracy man's gaze was turned on him and Haley he saw a facial expression he was far too familiar with. The young man had grown to like Alan despite everything that had happened and what he did and now he was conflicted in what he was suppose to feel, think or do about the matter. The moment lasted as fast as it had started and Virgil moved his attention back on his family as they asked about everything that had happened between the moments he was taken away and till the FBI finally got to him. Virgil told everything he knew, though at some point of the explanation he kept some of the personal details that he and Alan talked about to himself giving them the usual reason that it wasn't relevant to the investigation and of course the agents tried to argue and demand him to tell them those parts too, but Virgil was stubborn and continued his explanation and when he finally finished everyone in the room was left with even more questions than what they had from the start, which was not really a good thing at this point.

"How come that every time this kid makes a personal connection with someone, each one of them end up protecting him in some way whether it is the right think or not?" Agent Monroe pointed out, jabbing him, Haley and strangely enough Virgil for not being open and frank about what they knew. Neither of those three said anything and instead had their gaze turned on the ground, ashamed to be written up like they all were accessory to Alan's rogue actions. However before neither of the other agents could have a shot and grill them into admission Agent Farrell's phone started to vibrate and she pulled up her phone to see what it was about before she looked up and said, "They don't need to tell us anything. I just got Alan Shepard's medical file and the most interesting thing was that he suffered a head injury four years ago, which resulted with him receiving amnesia. And from the looks of things the teen still has it, doesn't he?"

Looks like cats out of the bag now, Jem thought to himself as he came to the conclusion that he couldn't stonewall the information any longer, however despite knowing that Alan has amnesia doesn't necessary mean that they would find out about his real criminal past. So he nodded his head and sighed heavily before he gave the people in the room the cliff note version of Alan's hospital stay and how he came into his and Haley's family. At least things couldn't turn worse. However as soon as he thought that things couldn't go worse on that regard was the moment when Lady Penelope's companion, Parker entered with an unknown man and said, "I think you all need to hear this…"

"This is a former colleague of mine from my old profession, " Parker explained as he and his mystery friend sat down on one of the empty chairs around the table where they all were having their conversation. "His name is Henri Royer and I will let him have the word and tell us more about Alan Shepard."

Jeff have never seen, heard or met this Henri Royer, which would have been naturally since he hadn't known Parker at the time when he used to be on the other side of the law. However it was odd how not even Penelope didn't even seem to know about this man and she had met most of Parker's old associates. What was so peculiar about his man that Parker had not even told his mistress about him, whom he had pledged his eternal loyalty to?

The man was around Parker age, greying-hair and dark eyes. His body was pretty slim and firm, and for a man his age he didn't look his age at all. Appearance-wise that is.

The older man bowed his head slightly like he was accepting the attention and began saying with a heavy French accent, "Merci, Aloysius. From what I have gathered you have summoned me here due to the performance of one boy, correct?"

Everyone in the room including him nodded their head and gave him the sign to continue talking, hoping that whatever information he had would be useful because it would seem that Jem Cassidy's assumption about Alan was correct regarding the fact that they wouldn't find him unless he wanted to be found. However where did that leave them with finding Fermat?

"Before I explain my connection with the boy, did he mention anything to you before he broke all contact with you?"

He, his sons, the Cassidy siblings, Brains and even the FBI agents didn't answer, seeing as they hadn't gotten anything from Alan prior to this, but Penelope answered calmly and collected, "Other than the location of where he and Virgil Tracy had been staying he told me that it was worth to check on the criminal organization the Golden Cobra. Everything we needed to know about Fermat's kidnapper was linked to that organization, but when I looked it up there was few reliable sources that really didn't explain the connection between Fermat and the kidnapping."

"The connection is simple, Alan Shepard is the one who ties between those two things," Henri shrugged his shoulders before he retrieved something from his jacket pocket and placed it on the table for everyone to look. It was a photograph; a couple of years old, but it were a neat picture of three kids with two boys and one girl who was staring at the photographer with blank and emotionless expression on their faces. It wasn't a happy picture to see, but what had caught Jeff's attention was the youngest one in the picture. There was something familiar about it that he couldn't' place, something really important, but he didn't know what and he only assumed that the boy in the picture had something to do with Alan Shepard and his mystery past. He was not the only one who jumped to that conclusion when Brains said, "T-the youngest b-boy in the p-picture, is that A-Alan?"

Henri nodded his head, "Oui, he was around nine years old when this was taken. Shortly after I met him and the other in fact."

"How did you meet him in the first place?" Agent Farrell asked before she pointed out. "Are you related or something like that?"

"No," Henri denied hastily, but a warm smile appeared on his face afterwards as his gaze was focused on the young blond kid in the photo. "You could say that he and the two other kids were my apprentices."

His answer were left with an uneasy question regarding what kind of apprentices they were or had been, even though he had a feeling that it had nothing to do with learning how to cook or something basic in the practical sense either.

"What kind of apprentices are we talking about?"

And he was correct about his assumption when Henri shrugged and replied in a simplistic manner like there was nothing wrong about his answer, "They were trained to be professional criminals. And the boy you happen to be chasing after was and probably still is the prodigy between all of my apprentices and absolutely the greatest criminal you have ever faced before. And could probably outsmart everyone in this building using simple tricks."

The room went completely silent for a moment before everyone exclaimed in shock, "WHAT!"

The only ones who were an exception to this reaction were the Cassidy siblings, who looked honestly unfazed about the whole revelation and were perfectly calm about it. The only thing Jeff found peculiar about their reaction was that they didn't necessary looked pleased that this information had come to the light, but if that was the case what the big deal? Could it be that they already knew the truth and didn't tell anyone? If that was the case why would they do it and to what extent did they know about Alan and his former life or it is probably is current life now based on his actions up till now?

Henri continued his explanation, "I don't know much about the background and the details behind the operation, seeing as my contract was limited to training these three to go beyond the normal measures, but I know that Alan and those two other kids were part the elite class of the Golden Cobra. Highly classified, extremely dangerous and unbelievably good and superior to the other criminals that people normally handles. These kids weren't just perfect criminals. They are more than that they are monsters in how far their talents and abilities can go and make no mistake they don't make mistake unless they intend to do so."

"So what is the reason behind everything that is going right now and what does Alan, the organization and Fermat have to do with it exactly?" Lady Penelope asked softly, though hinting that she already had an answer to her question and was just checking to see if her answer was the correct one.

Henri folded his arms and said with deep thought, "I'm not exactly sure what happened, but the last time I heard about Alan was that he had escaped with help from someone from the inside the organization, the boy hated his life and wanted to escape the life of crime and the daily torture he endured from his training and his usual habit to disobey. The boy had a knack to disobey and not listen to what he was told and every time he got severely punished for it. At one point they punished him so hard that they had him pined to the floor by two knife going through his hands, he was lucky that the damage didn't cut or severe any of the nerves and instead left two distinctive scars on his hands. Anyways there are rumors going around about the organization that they wanted the boy back, but they knew that he wouldn't voluntarily come back even if his life depended on it. Which is why they used the one weakness that boy have and used it against him in the most terrible way."

"What kind of way is that?"

"Despite everything that boy have a moral compass and loyal to a fault, which in this case it shows clearly since the organization wouldn't get him back the usual way they took Fermat as a price for him to return to his old life again. And I'm more than guessing here when I say that their method is working since he is probably on his way to them now in order to rescue his friend, though have to say I'm worried what is to happen after he managed to save him.

Hearing that information was both shocking and more importantly concerning. It was hard to believe that the sixteen-year-old teenager he had met before was a professionally trained criminal, even he haven't heard about such a thing unless the boy had come from a crime family and was taught the family business, however it really didn't seem to be the case based on how Henri Royer described. Even more shocking and concerning was it that this boy had endured such a harsh and terrible life that he somehow turned out okay despite everything, even though that probably was sue to suffering from amnesia for four years or so. Nonetheless this information brought an entirely different issue to the situation, and not in the good way either. If Alan was indeed trying to get to the Golden Cobra in order to rescue Fermat then Jeff could only imagine what kind of catastrophe could happen should Alan get there and do what he had in mind, which only the lord knows what exactly. The teen might not look like it, but based on his actions from his past and up till this point he had a destructive force like a hurricane taking down anything that was coming his way.

* * *

The music was blaring loudly in the room next door, which would give anyone a major headache if they listened to it for too long. Alan was no exception either, but thankfully he was in the sanctuary of the men's room in one of the more quiet nightclubs. As to the reason why he was hiding in the men's bathroom at a nightclub, he needed somewhere there was no cameras or people who would specifically take much notice of him, even though it was kind of hard feat to do seeing as he was a guy with long blond hair that girls were jealous of on a regular basis, but nevertheless when he went inside the bathroom and made sure no one but him was there he locked the door behind him and began placing the backpack he was carrying on the sink table. Then he began getting things out of the backpack, everything from clean clothes to scissors. Things were clear that he couldn't walk around with both the FBI and the organization looking for him, so he needed to change his appearance. So after he stripped out of his dirty clothes then he began cutting his hair with the scissors he had brought along. The long locks began gathering in the sink and while the hair cut wasn't exact or perfect in anyway, to be honest it looked horrible and he thought that he looked similar to a hedgehog with a terrible hair day. Afterwards his hair was cut short he began following the instructions and applied temporary brown hair dye into his hair, which would have taken even longer if he had applied the dye when his hair was still long and honestly he didn't have that kind of time to apply and wait for it to dry, but after an hour or so his appearance was completely changed and he was almost surprised how much he looked like Scott and Virgil now appearance-wise that is.

Alan stopped in his movements when the thought of his biological brothers had unintentionally entered his mind again. After that first flash back at the motel he had received more similar flashes about his biological family, not much considering the memories stopped around he was three and too young to remember anything distinctive. However as much as the happiness to know that he wasn't some orphan kid it didn't stop him from feeling conflicted about it. Jem and Haley had been his family for four years, while Renée and Blaze had been his family prior to his escape from the organization, which made the whole family issue just a bigger mess than what he was willing to deal with right now since he still didn't know what to think or feel about the fact that the Tracy family was in reality his real family. A family he didn't belong in anymore.

Anyways he shook his head, pushing those disturbing thoughts away, and stared at his appearance on last time in the mirror and muttered quietly to himself, "Fermat, just wait a little bit longer. I will find you and get you away from those people. I can only hope that I'm not too late."

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**Thanks again for the response I have been receiving, hope you guys like this chapter. **

**So since school has already started I can't promise when or how often I will be updating on this story, but I will continue it and write on it during the few moments I have time to spare and write. **

**And as for those of you who reads my other TB story, _Whispers In The Dark,_ I will be trying to weekly update the story on Mondays, but again I can't promise I will always be on time since I will be busy.**

**Sorry by the way that this chapter was sort of written fast, but I needed to get on with the story. People are probably wondering when the Tracy family learns about Alan's identity and the personal connection between them, and I can honestly say I'm not sure but most likely in one of the next chapters, not say which chapter since I have no clue. However it will happen at some point. So please, please, please continue reading and express what you think of my work because otherwise I might be dejected and more reluctant to continue and finish this story, which I really do want to finish. **

**With that said, please please please continue giving me reviews, favorite and/or followings, and the next chapter will be out as soon as its done. **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	14. Oliver Twist Is Calling

**13\. Oliver Twist Is Calling**

Stupidity wasn't something he was well known for, not even to the slightest if you asked anyone who knew him fairly well, but due to his reckless tendencies sometimes his plans might be considered stupid to the point of complete lunacy. This was probably one of those times his plan might be too reckless and stupid for his own good, but then again that made the whole plan ingenious.

Alan had already fair idea where the organization was keeping Fermat or rather he knew exactly where they were keeping him, thanks to Renée, and the only thing he needed to do was get there. Unfortunately the feds had grown impatient and desperate and sent out pictures of him everywhere, making his low profile a lot more harder to keep, but with the recent changes of his appearance he wasn't as concerned about the feds finding him as he probably should. Hopefully it would also mean that the organization were just as desperate to find him before he reached the home base and Fermat, which might be a good thing now that he thought about it. Nevertheless his plan to get there was simple, obvious and probably most importantly risky. He was going to take the long route and take the bus route to the location that happens to be in Los Angeles.

One of the good things about taking this course of action was that once you paid the ticket with cash no one really had any paper trail that linked back to you, which was exactly what he wanted and was looking for, however the bad thing was that someone might recognize him despite the massive changes. After all hair dye, badly cut hair and a dark blue baseball cap don't exactly make you invisible. That is why he carefully observed his surroundings while keeping his appearance unnoticeable until the announcement that his bus was about to leave.

So he got on the bus and found an empty seat next to the window not far from the back of the bus. Shortly afterwards the bus started to move and began driving the long road to LA. And seeing as there wasn't much he could do at the moment to occupy himself with, he decided to just let his mind wander freely and daydream as the surroundings from the bus window came and went in quick motions. His life had once upon a time seemed like a scene from Snoozeville, but now it was everything but snoozy and he wasn't sure whether he was supposed to be glad or not about the changes. Frankly he thought the whole being a professional super criminal was better to swallow than the fact that he was son of one of the biggest billionaires in the world. He was stubborn and reckless to a fault, nowhere near as sophisticated and strong moral sense as he had seen with Virgil and the other Tracys. However as much as he tried to deny the family ties and kinship he had to that family he knew far too well that it was true, and he didn't need to have his memories to tell him that. Not when the clues have been lying there right in front of him.

He sighed heavily and leaned his face against his right hand while his arm rested against the window. He had to stop thinking about his biological family and his family problems in general. None of that was going to help him regarding saving Fermat. So he once again forced those thoughts away and began planning further what his next course of action was to be.

* * *

It was a standard procedure. Nothing complicated or unusual in any way, just simply collect forensic evidence, run it against the computer database to see if something popped or stuck out and then move on to next piece of evidence. It was that simple, however somehow one of the rookie lab techs at the FBI had gotten the idea to take the blood samples from Alan Shepard and Virgil Tracy that were found at the motel and decided to instead of running it against the criminal database she compared to two blood samples against one another and received the most unexpected result. Lab technician Cara Goodman thought she had done a mistake when she saw the result on the computer. Just make sure that she wasn't wrong she ran it three times and got the same result each time. So there was apparently no mistake and she suddenly felt more than obligated to inform Agent Farrell and the people it was regarding about this huge and unexpected information that she had gotten a hold off. That is why she was heading towards the meeting room where she was being told where the agents as well as the family members of the victim and suspect of the kidnapping case.

Once she stood outside the door of the meeting room she knocked the door carefully before she opened the door and asked to talk to Agent Farrell. Everyone in the room including Agent Farrell looked surprised and most of all confused over her presence, but no one said anything and the agent simply stood up and walked out the door while closing the door behind her so they could talk.

"What is it that was in need for my attention, Cara?" Agent Farrell said wearily, rubbing her temples like she had an ongoing headache. "Please be something important or useful to this case because right now everything about this case is just complicated."

"I guess what I have for you is only going to make this a lot more complicated," Cara answered, pulling out the file from her arm and handed it over to Agent Farrell. Agent Farrell took the file and began reading the content, only to express even more tiredness and confusion to what she was reading. Cara realized this so she went straight to the point and explained, "I made a mistake and compared the two blood samples against the suspect Alan Shepard and Virgil Tracy."

"So? You made a mistake. As long as it didn't compromise the evidence then you just have to run it again."

Cara shook her head and continued, "That's not it. It is what the test proved. Well…to plain simple according to those almost identical lines from the blood samples from the two boys, they are familiar match with each other."

Agent Farrell eyes widen in shock most definitely not expected that kind of news and was more or less reluctant to say those words out loud since she said incredulous voice, "You are telling me…that Virgil Tracy and Alan Shepard are related."

"Closely related," Cara corrected. "To be more exact, they are brothers."

"Half brothers?" Agent Farrell was desperate to find anything that didn't come to the conclusion that was more or less lingering in the air. Again Cara shook her head and denied the assumption or rather the Agent's hope in her opinion, "No. They share the same father and the same mother. So no matter how much you don't want it to be true, DNA evidence never lie or waver. Your suspect Alan Shepard and Virgil Tracy are biological brothers. The question is what are you going to do about that information."

Agent Farrell didn't say anything, obviously conflicted as to what she was supposed to do whether to follow her ethical duty or her duty to the FBI, but whatever she chose to do with that information was absolutely none of Cara's business. From her point of view she had delivered the information she had discovered and what happen after that was out of her control. That is why she took the opportunity to leave and go back to her work, not thinking any further about the blood relations between the suspect they were chasing and the distraught rich family.

* * *

She wished that she could consider this was good news. Seriously, at least now she knew who exactly Alan was or might have been before his amnesia and his association with the Golden Cobra, but no matter how she wanted to sugar coat it there was no way that this information was good at the moment. What was worse she had no clue what she was supposed to do, tell the Tracy family as well as the Cassidy siblings that the teen they all were chasing was more closely related than small connecting lines or keep quiet and hope for the best seeing as in the end she and the rest of the bureau was going to arrest him and put him in jail for his criminal offenses?

That was currently lingering in her mind as she walked back into the meeting room and barely listened to the conversation that was going on without her. It wasn't until her partner patted her shoulder and announced that they were taking a short break and see whether there had been any phone tips or such regarding Alan's appearance. Most of the people left the room to stretch their legs or go back to the leads and angles on the case, except for Jeff Tracy that is. It was almost like fate was telling her what she was supposed to do giving her the opportunity to talk to Mr. Tracy alone. And who was she to question fate?

She stood up from her seat and went straight up to the man and asked plainly, "Do you think we can talk privately? There is something I have recently discovered that I think you should know about."

Mr. Tracy was obviously confused and reacted in a similar manner like I did with Cara, but didn't see the dark clouds that was practically hanging in the air that told him that whatever she was about to say was going to be awkward as well as confusing and hard to accept. However he didn't deny her request and the two of them left and went into the empty room next door and shut the door behind them.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about? I suspect whatever it is you don't want to share it with the rest of the group," Mr. Tracy folded his arms against his chest and waited for her response, which she felt even more reluctant to share now, but she ignored her brain and answered, "The information I have is very sensitive and most certainly not something that would do any good right now if it was put in the open."

"So why tell me about it if this is so sensitive?"  
Awkward and uncomfortable, she rubbed the back of her neck and said quietly, "Because this involves you, your family as well as Alan."

She stopped, taking a deep breath while thinking that it was just like ripping a Band-Aid off before she continued explaining in a heavy and serious manner, "One of our lab techs processed the blood that was gathered at the motel, both Virgil and Alan's, and instead of run it against the criminal database she accidently compared the two samples against each other. It turns out that they are a match."

Mr. Tracy tilted his head even more confused now, "They are a match to…what exactly? Are you trying to tell me that Alan and Virgil is related?"

"Closely related, as close as brothers actually," She said quietly while giving a hint of innocence.

That most definitely knocked Mr. Tracy's cool and collected persona instantly. Actually to be more frank he looked like he had just seen a ghost or something and was more than ready to vomit or faint on the spot. Whichever comes first apparently that is why she pulled out a chair and directed him in it before either of those options happened. Mr. Tracy seemed totally out of it as he continued mumbling over and over, "How? What? That's simply impossible…"

She took the other available chair and answered almost apologetically, "It is possible because it's the truth. From what I know about your family history your wife and youngest son died thirteen years ago, correct?"

Mr. Tracy nodded, "Yeah, in an avalanche accident. Although we didn't find the bodies the chances were that they didn't make it, but I never imagined…so you are saying that my baby son that I believed was dead along with my dear Lucy have been alive this whole time? And that my son has been brought up to be a professional criminal and is currently now on the run and out looking for Fermat to get him back?"

She didn't answer, but in the end she didn't have to since he already reached his own conclusions and his face fell into his hands and quietly began to sob. She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but didn't offer any comforting words or such because she had a feeling that no matter what she said wasn't going to help or ease the revelation any more or any less. Although she might have given a grieving father the best news in the world by telling him that his supposed dead son was actually alive, but in reality she felt like a butcher that had at this very moment poked and prodded in an area that would only cause more grief and sadness and more importantly complicate thing even more than it already was. And just on Mr. Tracy's part. But also on his sons, the Cassidy siblings and more importantly Alan's part.

* * *

This had to be a dream. There was no other reason or solution to it. Only there probably was reasonable explanation how everything he once believed to be true was just a disguise. Alan Shepard, the fugitive teen on a dangerous mission, was in fact his youngest son who he had believed died in an accident along with his mother thirteen years ago. And as much as hearing this brought joy and relief to his poor heart it left the million dollar question, how and why in the world could this have happened and who had brought this upon themselves to take his son and then set him up with a dangerous criminal organization that pretty much abused him for years?

He had no clue what to do about this discovery, but he knew what he wanted to do. Establish a relationship to his estranged son; even help him out in this huge crisis he was tangled up in just because he wanted another chance to help him when he had not been able to before. However putting that aside he wanted to know more about his youngest son on a personal level, figuring out what kind of person he was and had become, and the best way to do so was to talk to one of the people in the world that seemingly knew the best on that matter. His adoptive/foster brother and father figure Jem Cassidy.

Of course as of this moment neither he nor his sister was great fans of the Tracy members and there was no way they were going to talk to him or anyone else about Alan in a personal setting in fear that the information would be used against them later. However he wasn't a man who gave up once his mind was set, especially since it had become quite a family trait that was not always a good thing, but nevertheless he was determined to know more about Alan. Which is why he practically caught him off guard when he came out of the men's room and jumped in surprise and gasped, "God, what are you trying to do? Giving me heart attack?"

"No," Jeff shook his head. "However I was hoping to talk to you about Alan if you don't mind."

"Talk about Alan? What? Haven't you heard enough about him from the feds and that Henri guy? I'm pretty sure you know a lot about Alan by now," Jem answered as he began walking back towards the meeting room. Jeff followed, "You can say I'm persistent and overly curious. So amuse me and tell me something, anything at all. It doesn't have to have anything to do with what is currently going on."

Jem stopped and turned around to look at him, clearly suspicious and was mentally weighting options whether he should talk or not. At first he thought that the younger man was going to reject him, but surprisingly he decided to talk a leap of faith and replied, "Okay, normally I wouldn't even consider you proposal. But I'm going to bite on this one, but first answer me this why exactly are you interested to know? And please don't tell me its because you are interested or curious on the matter. I'm a cop and I know when I'm being screwed over."

Lord, this man was driving a hard bargain. What was he supposed to do, tell him the truth or tell a lie and hope for the best that it wouldn't be discovered? After all, he didn't really want to spread the word out about Alan's identity, especially before he had the chance to talk to Alan and the rest of his sons about this, but then again it sort of involved Jem and his sister too and who knows maybe they could even help convince Alan to talk to him once the situation had blown over.

"Agent Farrell shared some interesting information about Alan to me, something that neither of us want to go around right now," Jeff disclosed, not wanting to go into detail, however the boy was like bloodhound and wouldn't accept his answer. He glared and waited for a better explanation. So Jeff sighed, "Blood samples on Alan and Virgil from the motel was processed and it was a perfect match."

Jem reacted exactly like he had done, completely and utterly relieved as well as heart broken over the news. The younger man leaned against the wall before he slipped and sat down on the floor, sobbing heavily. Jeff wanted to comfort him, but wasn't in the right position to be comforting his oldest son's Air Force friend, who was not exactly on good terms with any Tracy men except for Alan of course. Nevertheless once Jem calmed himself down he asked, "I was always so worried about the possibility that his biological family would show up and take him away from me and my sister, but knowing that what kind of family you are I know that you can offer him a lot more than we ever can."

Jeff shook his head, denying the claim, and said comforting, "You did the one thing I wished I could have done. You gave him a chance, a chance of a normal life despite all the pain and hardships he has been through and you loved and trusted him, and he gave you love and trust in return. As of right now neither I or his brothers have remotely a place in his heart anymore, he can't remember or rather he wouldn't be able to since he disappeared and was presumed dead when he was only three years old."

That certainly got his attention and he exclaimed, "What! You thought he has been dead all these years and that's why you didn't search or make a claim on him before."

Jeff gave him the short version on the avalanche accident that supposedly claimed Alan and his wife and how the accident had affected not only him, but also his sons including Scott.

"Alan's death hit Scott very hard, those two were very close and had more of a father/son relationship than the average sibling relationship," Jeff explained, while reminiscing the period when Scott at the age of thirteen grieved the incredible loss of both his mother and younger brother. That was one of the dark and lowest points of his oldest son's life and honestly something that he didn't want to repeat itself now that Alan was actually alive.

Jem sighed wearily and ran a hand through his hair, "I knew that there was something he kept bottled up inside, something my sister noticed as well, but he never said anything and wouldn't talk about it. Besides the other secrets he had that one might actually be the main reason Haley and Scott broke up in the first place. All because he didn't want to talk and relive the death of his brother."

"Yeah, I just hope that he take the news that his baby brother is indeed alive and is actually our current fugitive looking after redemption," Jeff tried to smile, but his worry and concern clouded his judgment. He knew perfectly well that his oldest had a ferocious temper and would definitely not take the news with ease.

Unfortunately Scott found out a lot sooner than what he expected and more importantly wanted him to know, since Scott exclaiming angrily loudly interrupting him and Jem, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT! OR RATHER IS IT TRUE WHAT YOU TWO WERE TALKING ABOUT AND CLEARLY KEEPING BETWEEN YOURSELVES?"

Surprised, both he and Jem turned to see Scott standing there and looked more or less he wanted to murder someone on the spot, presumably him and possibly Jem and any other person who knew about this. Nevertheless it was pretty obvious that the secret he was hoping to stay quiet for a while didn't stay secret and now he was left dealing with the damage control. The question was only how he was supposed to do that?

Scott was pissed off and impatiently waiting for the explanation to what he has heard, so that he later can deny and reject the whole possibility (even though it wasn't a possibility) and simply shout and yell at them for lord knows how long. So Jeff wasn't sure whether it was fortunate or not that the agents on the case came running down the hallway and simply shouted out, "We got him. Alan is in LA, just gotten off the bus stop and drew attention to himself due to the people that was waiting for him and are currently fighting it out as we speak."

Let's just say the discussion about Alan's true identity and parentage was put on hold since the opportunity to apprehend the teen before he met up with his former crowd was better than dealing with the catastrophe of a sixteen year olds making.

* * *

Did they really think he was that stupid? Seriously, he was a trained professional criminal and he didn't even have to be that to know that the men in black suits that surrounded him from the moment he stepped out of the bus was definitely not what they claimed to be. One of the suits held up a federal badge and said, "FBI, you are under arrest Mr. Shepard and we are here to bring you in."

Alan frowned and his eyebrow went up in question, "You can't honestly believe I would fall for that. The feds aren't that good at tracking, so there is no way they could have been here before me. And besides out of all the agents I have seen none of them were expensive designer shoes. Care to try again?"

The response he received was the two guys pulled out their guns while the leader of the herd retrieved a black whip from his suit inner pocket, pulled it hard a few times before he threw the whip at him. Alan didn't avoid or deflect the attack, gladly accepted it at the same time ignoring the harsh pain he felt as the whip was wrapped around his wrists. Ignoring the flashbacks on Vinnie's favorite method in disciplining him, he pulled and yanked the whip. Taken by surprise the leader let go of the whip and Alan seized the opportunity and in one swift movement untied the whip around his wrist and flung it the hardest he could against the goons legs and feet. Some were knocked down on their feet while a few remained standing and immediately leaped into action by throwing their punches at him. Once again he used the whip as a perfect weapon, handled it with swiftness and great ease, and one by one each goon fell unconscious on the ground. When he had taken the last one down, who ironically happened to be the leader of the bunch, he leaned over to his taken down body and whispered quietly into his ear, "Tell your boss, that I'm here and I'm ready to bring the whole organization with me unless he let my friend go. I'm sure there are plenty of secrets and stuff that no one want to be exposed to the public, ultimately ruining everything the organization had worked for and taken pride in doing for several years."

Obviously he didn't have that much memories that held much importance or evidence against the organization and lead to its doom, but the bad guys didn't have to know that. And honestly it would be an embarrassment that the people who trained him to be a professional liar, but then again it wasn't if they actually fell for his bluff.

The leader lost consciousness shortly afterwards and Alan didn't waste any time making his escape, especially since this scene right now most definitely caught the law enforcement as well as the feds attention. So he retrieved one of the goons gun and then made his escape in the crowd filled with people, blended perfectly in and without anyone noticing him disappearing from the public eye.

* * *

Fermat had been brought back into the office after he woke up the second time. Apparently they feared that if Alan did somehow get inside the first place he would search for him would be the cells and from there they could calculate and plan what their next move would be. However Fermat knew better than anyone that while Alan was smart enough to come up with a foolproof plan he was too impulsive and when he had a clear goal in mind he wouldn't be up for making any mistakes on his path. So the prospect that his best friend would simply be taken down for something so predictable was actually hilarious.

However being cooped up in an office without anything to do or allowed to talk to anyone was not hilarious at all. In fact it was driving him mad and there wasn't much he could do about it either unless he wanted an injury or a scar on his body that told the story. But it seems like he didn't have to go far to find something interesting because the Boss had called in Blaze for his presence at the office almost immediately, but the strange part was that the boss seemed overly calm and amused by something to be up to his usual game of evilness in the world. And he quickly found out what the man had in mind when Blaze entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"I have a job for you to do," the Boss said with an amused grin. "And it has to be done as quickly as possible, because I'm not sure how long it will take for our guest to arrive and his present need to be prepared before then."

Blaze froze on the spot as he said, "Are you asking me to prepare a bomb for Alan?"

Fermat's eyes widen as well hearing that information. If he had ever been afraid and concerned for anyone's life including his own before then this was probably the cherry on the top.

"Of course, you are the bomb expert. While Alan was the prodigy and Renée gifted in her jewel heists and prostitution, you are the best bomb maker as well as cracker."

Blaze shook his head, obviously not taking much pride in being the designated bomb expert in the organization. Nonetheless the boss continued on, "Get going and start working. I will give further details of where the bomb is going to be placed."

Blaze looked like he wanted to ask or rather argue some more, but the boss dismissed him and Blaze apparently didn't want to push it in case the man got pushed over the edge and do something impulsive. So he left the room, leaving Fermat once again in the company of the boss. However unlike the last time the boss didn't seem too interested in indulging and sharing what he had in store for Alan and Fermat wasn't sure whether he should be concerned or not about this sudden change of action. The boss completely ignored him and simply let him off to do the heavy thinking of what is to come next and the consequences that followed after. Once again he prayed for whatever god or deity out there to help his friend and save them from what he feared would be an incident described as humanity being burned to hell.

* * *

The strangest thing happened. Her cellphone was ringing and she couldn't think of anyone having a reason for calling her at this moment, especially when she had let out messages that she would be unavailable for the time being. However that wasn't the strangest thing it was a blocked number calling, which means that someone from her circle was trying to contact her and that was impossible since her number wasn't listed anywhere. Ignoring the concern, allowing curiosity to take over she accepted the call and said simply, "Hello, this is Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward. How may I help you?"

"This is Oliver Twist calling and I was hoping that what I tell you and have plans to do will be kept confidential until this blows over."

Penelope recognized the voice, thinking it was risky and more or less idiotic for that person to call her, but she thought over it carefully. And honestly didn't see the harm and at least hearing what the proposition was before she made a decision, so she answered lightly, "What do you have in mind?"

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**Thank you for the response I have been receiving, hope you guys like this chapter. **

**I hope everyone have had good holiday, and I hope everyone has gotten a good start on the new year. So since school has already started I can't promise when or how often I will be updating on this story, but I will continue it and write on it during the few moments I have time to spare and write. **

**And as for those of you who reads or have read my other TB story, _Whispers In The Dark,_ I can inform you that it is now finished and if there is any confusion or comments regarding that story please refer yourself to that particular story.  
**

**Sorry by the way that this chapter was sort of written fast, but I needed to get on with the story. Now some of the Tracy members know the true, what is to happen next we will just have to wait and see. So anyways please, please, please continue reading and express what you think of my work because otherwise I might be dejected and more reluctant to continue and finish this story, which I really do want to finish. **

**With that said, please please please continue giving me reviews, favorite and/or followings, and the next chapter will be out as soon as its done. **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	15. Breathing In Breathing Out

**14.** **Breathing In Breathing Out**

It was simple, like ripping a Band-Aid off. Quick and instantly painful, but it gets the job done. However Jeff knew far too well that no matter which way he did it, the news itself would be shocking and heartbreaking. He has already experienced it twice, with both himself and Jem's reaction to Alan's real identity, but it had to be done. His sons deserved to know the truth about that the teenager they all were chasing across the country for was in fact their younger brother, who was previously presumed dead. That is why during the plane ride to LA, he gathered his sons as well as Jem and his sister in order to talk in private and allow them digest the information before they landed.

Jem and Haley sat in their seats, both quiet and waiting expectantly for what was about to happen, meanwhile his sons with the exception of Scott were confused and more importantly curious as to what Jeff had to say. Scott was just sitting there, glaring angrily at him like a pissed-off cat, and jumped right to it the moment everyone had settled down, "What is going on, dad? Is what I heard you and Jem talking about in the hall true? About Alan?"

Normally if the topic of the conversation wasn't sensitive and delicate he would have chuckled over his son's impatience and blunt manner, but things weren't like that at all and he couldn't continue allowing his oldest son living in the killing suspense any longer. So he sighed heavily and said dejected, "According to the FBI lab, Alan Shepard is indeed your youngest brother Alan Shepard Tracy. The same boy we thought we lost thirteen years ago in that accident."

The room went silent, uncomfortable and even worst the prior suspense with most of them being oblivious over this information. How he missed the brash noise and bantering from his sons, but their reaction was understandable and he shouldn't expect them to digest the revelation that easily. However the silence quickly ended and was immediately replaced with several upset and confused voices trying to overpower each other. Again it was expected that the news wasn't well received and certainly not well accepted, but the loud noise was starting to hurt his ears and giving him a major headache.

Still he waited until they all started to calm down enough for them to have a civil conversation without the yelling or until one of them started to crack and braved themselves to ask the important questions he did not have all the answers. It was John who took the courage to ask, "If…what you are telling us is really true, that Alan is our Alan, then how in the world did he end up in an international criminal organization when he went missing during an avalanche accident in the mountains?"

"I don't know, John," Jeff answered dejected, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I wish I knew how things became so messed-up, but I really don't know and we won't know anything for certain until Alan is apprehended and Fermat is retrieve from these people."

Hearing that last part made something snap in Scott since he slammed his fist on the chair's armrest before he stood up and exclaimed, "So what is going to happen to him after that, huh? He is going to be arrested and put in prison for god knows what charges and there is nothing we can do about it! The kid have already lived through hell and doesn't deserve more even with all the actions he has done up till now and most likely is going to continue to do."

Virgil supported his older brother's claims and said, "Yeah, nothing is going to change for anyone if he is being arrested and put in prison. For nine years he has lived in a prison created by horrible criminals that forced and tortured him to do their bidding. The only peaceful life he has ever had was when he lived with Jem and Haley, how can anyone think that taking him away from that is going to help anyone?"

Jeff couldn't agree more to their claims and reasoning, but in the end his hands were tied. He might be a billionaire, able to get anything money can buy, but there was no way he had enough power to fight against the law. The only thing he could hope for was that the FBI and the law would treat this case good and fairly, taking in all the considerations to the circumstances behind Alan and his course of actions.

However he kept his thoughts to himself, so instead he began to explain the circumstances he knew about Alan with Jem supporting and giving his own version of raising Alan for the last four years. He and his sons didn't necessary show it, but they were indeed curious about how the baby in the family grew up to be despite the excruciating past with a criminal organization. Some stories were amusing to listen to while others were sad and even maddening over Alan, but the full picture was that despite Alan growing up without his family's traits and views on certain matters there was no doubt that the teen didn't have the famous Tracy family traits.

And by the time the plane landed in LA, they were caught up to most of the stories that Jem and Haley wanted to share with him and his family. Even though they didn't know everything about the lost son and brother, considering that there was not enough time to learn about a life they had no clue about and even if they did it would again be hard to process everything, but nonetheless they had a job and that was to track down Alan and Fermat. And make sure that the two teens returned back to where they truly belonged, hopefully safe and sound, but again only time would tell and at this moment time was of an essence.

* * *

The destination was clear and determined. No reason to hesitate or turn back from the path he had chosen in order to rescue Fermat and possibly even bring down the Golden Cobra for good. However here he was, hiding a great distance away from the bad guys' lair and was actually insecure how he was supposed to proceed from here. Alan couldn't simply walk up to the front door and demand them to give up Fermat, because there was no way they were going to do it without making a deal that everyone including himself were unwilling to hold up, but then again he didn't have that great choice of options. Which left him with the option to sneak in, grab Fermat and get out hopefully without getting caught. However that plan was risky enough, even more than he liked it to be, and it really didn't give him much reassurance that he would get through this without either getting severely hurt or worse get killed in his effort. That is why he took even extra precaution in what his next steps were going to be instead of just sneaking into the place and stumble into the dark. So he sat there for hours, watching the huge unassuming building that looked more or less abandoned especially since it was located in the outskirts of town. It was a mystery how these guys managed to stay hidden and in business at all, considering that they didn't make much effort in real estate deals, but then again they probably moved around the countries a lot, never staying at one place for too long, and probably also had some connections with the law enforcement and other political organs. Nevertheless it both amazed him and frighten him over how much power the criminal organization he used to 'hang' with had and how much was at stake if he failed, seeing as he wasn't the only one who would pay the price. Fermat, Blaze, Renée, Jem, Haley and even the Tracys would be caught in the crossfire if he made even the slightest mistake. So he had to make sure that there were no unanticipated flaws in his plan once he began to set it in action and enter the demon's lair.

As Alan sat there, slightly bored to death since there wasn't much for him to do beside watching what was happening around him, the thought that he was actually for once appreciated his training. It had ultimately helped him being a better observer and was able to take close notice in the guards routines as well as capturing the security cameras that was placed all over the place. Since he had stayed there he knew that every guard shift happens every three hours, leaving a short time window where there were no guards around the side door to no-end alley. That was one perfect opportunity, but he needed to plan even further ahead than just getting in to the building. Getting in was the easy part, finding Fermat and getting them both out were the hard part, and given the fact that he didn't have the building plan, which he couldn't get from city hall either since everyone was looking for him, he had to think hard as to the most reasonable or rather the most seemingly reasonable plan the Boss and Vinnie along with his goons could come up with. But what kind of wicked ideas could the people that trained him and tortured him for years come up with? That was the real question.

* * *

Fear. That's the watchword. Fermat thought he knew fear before. He was scared and afraid of many things and instantly caved into that fear, unlike Alan who experienced so much fear in his life yet always fought through it all and simply stopped being afraid of everything. It was always something he admired about his friend, something he could be able to have, but he wasn't and there was nothing he could do about it. There was a bomb somewhere in this building meant for Alan in case he got through and wouldn't go along with the deal to join back in to the organization. Knowing Alan, there was no way he was going to agree to it since he remembered enough about his past to know that nothing good could ever come out of agreeing to such a deal, and hence why Fermat was now fearing for his best friend's life.

And the matter didn't light up once Blaze came back into the room to guard him, but then again he was a hell of a lot better than the Boss as company and maybe he might pull some information out of him. Both to ease his troubled heart and mind and also to hopefully to get Blaze to work with him instead of against him when it came to Alan.

"P-please, d-don't harm him," Fermat asked, although it sounded more like begging in his ears, but nonetheless he was desperate and if he had to reduce himself down to lower his pride as a man and ask for the safety of his friend then so be it. "H-he only d-doing this b-because of m-me."

Blaze shrugged his shoulders, "That doesn't matter. He knows what he has to do in order for you to gain your freedom, and if he is unwilling to pay the price then he has to face the consequences. Consequences he should have faced four years ago and now it has come back to haunt him. Ironic really, that the Ghost is the one being haunted and not the other way around."

Although he tried to sound heartless like he didn't care what were to happen to Alan, Fermat knew that his guard was only acting like this to fool him or rather fool himself into believing that he didn't care what would happen to Alan. If you grew up with someone for nine years, having a sibling-like relationship, then there was no way he could turn those feelings off and suddenly pretend they didn't exist. Despite everything that had happened between Alan and Blaze, he firmly believed that they sincerely cared about each other and wouldn't want harm to come upon them if they had the power to stop it. Especially Alan would fight to the death if he had to just for the sake of his loved ones.

"T-That's just a p-piece of c-cra…garbage," Fermat huffed as he folded his arms against his chest and stared at the older teen. "W-whatever issues y-you two might have with e-each other is n-not important. Alan c-cares about y-you and you c-care a-about him, t-that's what m-matters. H-he doesn't d-deserve to get h-hurt or w-worse die because of h-he wish to be f-free and l-live an o-ordinary life. D-don't you agree?"

Blaze didn't say anything, but it was obvious as the day that he was actually thinking about what he was saying and that was something for a guy who was probably taught how to withstand extraction of information when he probably was still in his diapers. Then Blaze just sighed heavily like he was feeling suddenly tired or receiving a major headache, and said defeated, "Okay, fine. I give up. What do you want me to do?"

Fermat grinned proudly over his accomplishment, especially since he didn't think he would have been able to convince him in the first place, but he took what he got and began forming a few ideas that could be used for a plan either to get them both out of here or help Alan in some way or get other kind of help to assist or all the above. Blaze turned out to be very critical to most of the ideas, rather insufferable to handle, which made him wonder how in the world Alan managed to avoid picking that trait up during his early years, but in the end they found some common ground where they both agreed and was willing to do their part. The only thing they had to do now was execute the plan at the perfect place and at the perfect timing. Easier said than done.

* * *

Scott didn't like this. Not even the slightest. Who was this kid, Houdini? Seriously, how can one teenager disappear in one of the few places in the world where it was almost impossible to stay hidden in? He had no blame clue, but apparently his recently discovered-little brother did and used his talents to his gain in the most infuriating situations like this one.

As it turns out Alan had once again slipped through their fingers and they had no leads to where he was or where he was going. The feds were already on the move, trying to gather any information they could on him despite the fact that it seemed pretty useless when Jem had already warned them beforehand that Alan wouldn't be found unless he wanted to be, in which case he probably didn't seeing as he was still missing and making everyone else seem like fools running around for him.

Lady Penelope and Parker had oddly enough pulled themselves back and not really included anyone in their conversation. That was pretty normal except that they acted very suspicious about it. However he didn't care much about them at the moment since his thoughts were mainly on Alan and the well being of his other brothers that he didn't notice Jem sneaking up on him before his friend said, "See how easy it is?"

Scott jumped in surprise and turned around to see his friend, who seemed strangely calm and amused despite the circumstances, which is why he replied slightly annoyed, "Geez, you scared me. Never mind…what do you mean with how easy it is?"

"The worry, as well as how easy you come to love him despite not really meeting him in an ordinary scenario."

He huffed in response and folded his arms against his chest, probably looking like an angry five-year-old, but he didn't really care about it since Jem did have a point with his statement.

"It's instinct. I… or I guess I should say both of us, we can't help it. We feel compelled to love and care for them, and is willing to do anything to protect them," Scott said wearily, letting go some steam and simply feel the defeat and tiredness. "I care about Alan and want to protect him, even though I don't know the person he is now, I can only hope that my family and I can establish a real relationship with him after this whole thing blows down."

Jem gave a reassuring smile, "I'm sure Alan will want a relationship with you all, at least once things has calmed down and he has wrapped his head around it once he hears the news that is."

* * *

Breathing in. Breathing out. The night has finally fallen in, allowing him the perfect moment to infiltrate the building that was holding Fermat captive. Despite remembering several separate events that where much more frightening and dangerous, Alan couldn't help feeling the cold chills running up his spine as a warning that he was indeed terrified to walk into the devil's lair and once again go through the seven or eight levels of hell. However he knew that it was worth the risk and the consequences by doing so, but you really can't stop your fear. The only thing you could do was face it with open arms and work from there. That's was being brave really means.

Alan had already packed the few things he need for the mission, changed into dark clothes that made him easier to blend in and go unnoticed, and was all in all ready to go. When the guard that was walking around the premises left in order to be relieved for the next guard, he instantly took the opportunity and snuck into the property. He sprinted past the front of the building and headed to the side door to no-end alley. Of course, a security alarm code was already placed on the door in order to access entrance in. Luckily he had been prepared for this and began tampering carefully yet swiftly with the control system. He could feel the warm sweat on his hands, both from the stressing activity he was doing as well as from the warmth coming from his gloves. However he managed to ignore it as he slowly disarmed the alarm and the code to the door. The 'click' sound was like hearing angels sing in Alan's ears as he turned the door handle down and opened the door, quickly enter and closed the door behind him before the guard or anyone else's got the chance to notice his presence.

The room was entirely dark, making it hard to even know for sure if there were invisible laser beams around the room or any other kind of security function, but he took a chance and hoped that there wasn't. If he was wrong then he just had to improvise. Word of the day, improvise.

He shook his head by that thought as he continued down the dark hallway and when he reached the end he turned to the left, thinking that if he was keeping Fermat somewhere it would be not near any entrances and furthest part of the building. Hopefully was right in his assumption.

Anyways, he walked down another dark hallway, locked doors on each side until he tried the door at the end. It opened up and he stepped right in to warehouse-looking and feeling room. Similar to the one he and Renée fought when they were first reunited. However he realized right away that he wasn't alone in the room when he saw the Boss, Vinnie and his goons standing there waiting for him.

"Welcome back Ghost or do you prefer to be called Alan now?" The Boss asked with mock sincerity. Alan sneered and clenched his teeth together as he realized that not only had he walked himself into a trap, but it also was the same dangerous trap that he had been entrapped in four years ago.

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**Thank you for the response I have been receiving, hope you guys like this chapter. **

**So since school has already started I can't promise when or how often I will be updating on this story, but I will continue it and write on it during the few moments I have time to spare and write. **

**And as for those of you who reads or have read my other TB story, _Whispers In The Dark,_ I can inform you that it is now finished and if there is any confusion or comments regarding that story please refer yourself to that particular story.  
**

**Sorry by the way that this chapter was sort of written fast and probably badly written as well, but I needed to get on with the story. And also sorry that this chapter is shorter than usual, since I'm busy with a written assignment I wouldn't have time to write more this week or next week. Besides today this story is officially one year old, amazing how much time has passed, and I wanted to give you guys an update to celebrate.  
**

** So anyways please, please, please continue reading and express what you think of my work because otherwise I might be dejected and more reluctant to continue and finish this story, which I really do want to finish. **

**With that said, please please please continue giving me reviews, favorite and/or followings, and the next chapter will be out as soon as its done. **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	16. The Puzzle Is Revealed

**15\. The Puzzle Is Revealed**

Gun, knife or hand-to-hand. Those were his options, but as much as he tried to make a credible scenario where he attacked and would somehow survive the ambush there was really no good scenario for him at all. The odds were against him, and the Boss and everyone else in the room knew that, so Alan was left with the only other option than those three. He had to fight with all three, and hope that he would come out alive, so that he could save Fermat and bring him back to his family.

So he did exactly that and leaped immediately into attack mode. First, using his gun and shot as many as he could without giving anyone of them a lethal hit, because he may have been trained to do such things but he was no killer as much as the organization hoped he would be. Then once he ran out of bullets, he threw the gun at one of the bad guys and simultaneously used his knife and body to take the rest one by one. Of course, that didn't mean that his attackers didn't attack him or injure him the slightest, because they most certainly did and quite harshly he like to add. The only thing that kept him going strong and alive was his will alone to survive and rescue his dear friend, but then again that was all the motivation he needed anyways.

Sure enough, the numbers of bad guys decreased. And finally the only ones left was the Boss, Vinnie and three other guys. Alan heaved for his breath, feeling the exhaustion and pain hit him like a fray train, but he was too proud and stubborn to show weakness in front of these people, especially when he had fought so hard not to be weak and obedient. The Boss had a smug smirk on his face as he clapped his hands, like he had watched a fantastic show and was now applauding him and the people he had hurt. It made him feel sick how someone could treat humanity at such a low level, but then again moral and humanity lessons had not been part of his training growing up. And he was certain that part hadn't changed since he left, especially considering how they operated and his few encounters with Vinnie and Renée.

"Still efficient and accurate as before," The Boss commented, as he took quick strides towards him. "You are even more impressive than when I first got ahold of you and brought you to the headquarters in France."

That comment made Alan feel really weird. He barely remembered how he ended up in the possession of an international crime organization, yet remembered just bits and pieces that he was Jeff Tracy's son and that he had a family, which led to the important question. How in the world did he end up with the Golden Cobra? And why did he or his family remember and tried to look for one another?

Almost like he read his mind, the Boss answered with taunt. "Don't you remember? No, probably not. You were only a small toddler back then, but I remember it perfectly. You were lying there in the snow, in your dead mother arms, almost buried alive by an avalanche. When I found you I just knew that you had a great potential, so I brought you back in order to harness you into becoming what you were destined to become."

How could he have known about his 'supposed' potential? He had been three years old at the time, at least that what he assumed based on the pieces of information Fermat had once in a while mentioned in the passing, but nonetheless there was no way anyone could determine someone's abilities unless they knew exactly what and how they were looking into. As soon as the thought struck his mind it hit him. That the Boss had known about him and his family before the accident, although he wasn't sure how specific the knowledge and relationship between the Boss and his biological family was, but there was no doubt that was the only option to how he had been chosen specifically by the organization.

"You knew who I was, where I came from, and for that reason you took me away from my family," Alan said, barely containing the anger that was building up inside of him. "So what exactly is your connection with my biological family?"

"Ah, so you know now that you're Jeff Tracy's youngest son, his fifth son with four older brothers with talents that makes them all almost inhuman."

Alan scoffed. He hated no getting direct answers, especially when it involved him and it was information he needed to know, but remained firm and asked once again to answer the question. That man had made his life a living hell, even after he thought he was out and free it seemed like he showed up again the moment he was needed, hence why Alan felt like the Boss owned him at least an explanation to why his life turned out like this.

The man continued to have the same expression on his face, not at all losing his cool in front of him, but Alan was no fool. He might appear like a non-action man, leaving the dirty work to Vinnie and his goons, but he was no angel either. That man was a demon. No, that's wrong terminology. He was a horrible person, who sold his soul to the devil in order to get power to cause terror and destroy the world.

"Indeed, I guess you have a right to know the truth," The Boss confessed, without sincerity. "I guess I should start with my connection with your deceased mother, Lucille."

Hearing that comment, along with the name, made Alan very much confused. "My mother? You knew my mother when she was still alive?"

The Boss once again didn't answer question, at least not in the direct manner that he wished for, instead began his storytelling about he and Lucille Tracy knew each other.

* * *

Fermat and Blaze had done the necessary preparations in order to bring on the cavalry and was on the way to find Alan, who Blaze reassured him was the one place where he heard murmurs about Vinnie and his goons were going to welcome Alan. And even though his new ally used the word 'welcome' it was most certainly not meant as positive or cheery as the word really meant. In other words Alan was going to be in serious trouble, which could potentially lead to him getting seriously hurt or worse dead, and that was an option Fermat was not willing to let happen to his friend.

However just as they were about to turn the corner and enter the huge room that reminded Fermat of a warehouse location, Blaze stopped him by placing his hand on his shoulder. When Fermat gave him a confused look, not understanding why the older teen stopped him, but Blaze held a finger to his lips in order signal to him that he had to be silent. It was then he realized why he was stopped from going any further. From the position where they were standing behind a wall they could see Alan and the Boss clearly, and Fermat almost didn't recognize his friend with the drastic change with his hear until he caught a glimpse of his face that is, but nonetheless the two of them were having a heated conversation. Fermat turned to Blaze, silently asking what they were going to do about it, but the older teen only shook his head and whispered quietly, "Whatever it is they are talking about it is for the best that you don't interfere, for your sake and for Alan's. Look, I got to go and check up on that bomb just in case there are some surprises that we need to know about, so do me a favor and stay here and without getting caught. Wait until Alan or me come and get you, all right?"

Fermat nodded, and Blaze immediately left him alone to do what he was planning on doing. But he couldn't find himself to worry about himself when his best friend was facing the monster that had ruined so much of his life. So his focus was turned on the scene that was playing that brought initially a killer tension that spread as far as to where he were standing, and his concern only grew as he listened in on the conversation and learned what the conversation really was about.

"Your mother, a strong and charming woman, but like me she was an orphan. Simply unloved and abandoned by her birth parents before she spent several years in the foster system."

Alan remained quiet, but kept a hard and cold gaze on the man as he continued to follow the Boss with his eyes when he began circling around him. The Boss looked actually proud how he managed to pull the strings with him and continued on with his explanation with insufferable smugness. "That's how we met. Two abandoned and unloved children, who went through pain and hurt from foster parents, foster kids and everyone else out there in the big world. We were close friends, close enough to consider each other family, just like you and that adoptive family you managed to secure yourself these last four years, and over time I fell in love with her."

That actually made both him and clearly Alan disgusted to hear. Seriously, this sadistic and cruel man who caused chaos and took pleasure in making peoples' lives miserable, was actually capable to be in love with someone? If that was the case then at least Alan's mother had the brains to not end up with such wicked man, but that left with the question who exactly was Alan's mother that apparently played an important in how Alan ended up in this horrible life that he was forced upon.

Alan awkwardly shifted on his feet, "If you loved her so much, why did you decide to make my life a living hell? Or should I simply ask if you killed her while we're at it?"

"Now, Alan. You think I would kill the woman I loved," The Boss expressed hurt, fake no less if you knew where to look, and both Fermat and Alan did since their expression showed that they didn't buy his act for a second. "The accident that happened was indeed an accident, but saving her from dying…well that I can admit was partial due to my influence."

"What?" Alan looked heartbroken. Apparently hadn't expected that answer to come out as blunt and insincere. "Why?"

The man stopped in his pacing around him and began a different course. Walking straight up and personal, close enough to make a sneak attack if he wished it to happen. "This organization was actually her idea. After being alone and unloved for so long she wanted to create an organization that built on potential and abilities, harvesting and allowing them to grow to become anything you wanted to be. I just made my own personal twist on it."

Alan didn't say anything at first, but honestly who could blame him. What could he possibly say to express the emotions that he feels when he learned that this whole organization was created based on an idea from his mother and the source of all evil himself.

"So you allowed my mother to die, but from the kindness from your heart you decided you save my life," Alan commented skeptical, while raising one of his eyebrows in a questionable manner. "I find that hard to believe, so why me? Why not one of my other brothers? Why did it have to be me?"

The man smirked shamelessly. "I'm sure you are aware by now that you take after your mother, both appearance-wise and personality-wise. At least up till now before you colored you hair brown. Now, I can clearly see some resemblance to your father as well, the man who stole your mother away from me."

"I get it now…" Alan murmured quietly. "This whole time this was really about something else than creating an international crime organization."

With that last piece of information, the mysterious puzzle was finally complete. Now both Fermat and most certainly Alan knew why the organization was created, and why Alan specifically was chosen, kidnapped and trained to become a criminal. This was about revenge on Alan's mother and her family. He was punishing not only Alan by bringing him up in misery, but he was also punishing his biological family by taking him away from them and not saving the woman that he claimed to love when he had the chance. Everybody and everything else was merely a bonus in this sinister man's plan for domination over the world. What the hell were they exactly dealing with? Definitely not someone sane because honestly who could ever be considered to be sane if you let an innocent woman die and taking her child away from her family to train and make his life a living hell?

* * *

Alan felt like he was drowning. His head was hurting and everything else inside of him was working on smothering him from within. Learning the truth behind the origins of the organization, his mother and the fact that everything that happened to him had been a motive to punish his family. All because his mother fell in love with his father, that is truly a horrible truth to learn. Mostly because it left him with questions that could not be answered, seeing as his mother was dead and he didn't trust that sadistic bastard to be honest with him unless it worked in his favor, but despite that he knew that he had reached his decision.

Over the last few days and hours he had been questioning what exactly he was going to do with his 'old crowd', whether he was going to take care of the problem himself or simply allowing the authorities to deal with them. And as much as his moral compass told him to do the right thing and allow justice be served, he couldn't help but wanting revenge over what these people had done to him, to Renée and Blaze, for their entire childhood. He was sure that no one would have disagreed or blamed him if he killed them all on the spot, however just as soon that thought crossed his mind he remembered his mother. She had tried to protect him from an avalanche accident and had pure ideas regarding the organization, and if she had done all of that and more then he was certain that she wouldn't be pleased to see him taking the dark path and take revenge in cold-blood. Then his thoughts turned on what Fermat, Jem and Haley would think and as much as he had been a disappointment in many ways, he didn't want to disappoint them anymore by truly becoming the monster that the organization tried to turn him into.

That is why he took advantage of the ignorance the Boss, Vinnie and the few bad guys that were left standing had of the situation. They assumed that they would break him by relaying this heart-shattering information. Well, they had a different reaction coming and it was storming like a bitch. And this came in the form of him throwing the knife that was still in hand, aiming it at Vinnie and his goons, creating the perfect distraction he needed to misdirect the Boss's attention, and then took the opportunity to escape the same way he came from and shut the door behind him.

Once he was on the other side of the door he quickly rearranged the locking mechanism before destroyed the lock just to be on the safe, making sure they stayed trapped inside, at least from this end anyways. He had no clue if there were more exits, but at that moment he didn't have the time to think about that since the only plan that remained in focus was to get Fermat and then get the hell out of here. And apparently that first part didn't turned out that he didn't have to work that hard in order fulfill, because Fermat ran straight up to him and threw his arms around his neck.

Alan almost fell down on the ground, completely taken back by the force and appearance of his short friend, but he returned the gesture with a huge grin before they pulled back and he asked worried, "Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"N-no." Fermat replied as he shook his head. Alan let out a relieved breath that he didn't realize he was holding in before he muttered regretfully over and over. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you ended up in the middle of this mess because of me."

Fermat tried to reassure him that this was not his fault and that he shouldn't blame himself for what happened, but those words immediately went in one ear and straight out the other. Nothing he could say would take away the immense guilt and regret he felt for putting his friend in danger. However he decided to not to think about it too much since they had other things to worry about than his guilty conscience.

It was just as they were about to make the move to get away that Blaze showed up with a grim expression on his face. Alan's first assumption was that his old companion and brother-figure was angry and upset with him like Renée had been, but he quickly found out that wasn't the case when Blaze went straight into it and said bluntly, "We have a problem."

"Just one?" Alan said sarcastically, as he folded his arms against his chest. "In case you haven't noticed just being here is a problem itself, what could possibly be worse?"

Blaze frowned sourly at him before he began explaining the bomb that had been planted on the site, the bomb that was meant for him. Apparently after they made sure Blaze made the bomb and put it in the right place, they booby-trapped it even further just to make sure that it would be executed and Blaze wouldn't be able to switch it off or at least wouldn't be able to shut it down without having enough time to do it. Hence why they had a problem, a big problem indeed.

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**Thank you for the response I have been receiving, hope you guys like this chapter. **

**With school going on I can't promise when or how often I will be updating on this story, but I will continue it and write on it during the few moments I have time to spare and write. **

**Sorry by the way that this chapter was sort of written fast and probably badly written as well, but I needed to get on with the story. And also sorry that this chapter is shorter than usual, since I'm busy with pretty much everything, but felt obligated to at least update this story even slightly to get a move on towards the end. Which I'm right now estimate is about two or three chapters left, but then again I'm not completely sure at this point so we will see.  
**

** So anyways please, please, please continue reading and express what you think of my work because otherwise I might be dejected and more reluctant to continue and finish this story, which I really do want to finish. **

**With that said, please please please continue giving me reviews, favorite and/or followings, and the next chapter will be out as soon as its done. **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	17. Bombs Away Bombs Away

**16\. Bombs Away Bombs Away**

In all honesty, they were ultimately screwed. There is no better way to describe the hopelessness in their current predicament, but Alan couldn't show that to Fermat. His sweet and loyal friend, who completely and utterly believed that he could do the incredible and save them from the situation that was threatening to transpire. That is why he couldn't bring himself to break his heart with reality.

"Okay, Fermat. You're going to walk out of here and warn whoever is coming to our rescue and warn them about the bomb," Alan commanded, while secretly hoping that he wouldn't see behind the ploy that was meant to protect him and keep him safe. "Will you do that for me?"

Fermat looked at him with huge eyes before he shook his head fast and wildly; almost making his glasses fall off from the motions. "N-no. No! I'm n-not going to g-go and l-leave you b-behind. NO! I-I wouldn't d-do it."

Alan sighed defeated, while at the same time slightly exasperated over his best friend's ridiculous moment to be stubborn and difficult. How the hell is he supposed to simplify the self-explaining argument why he had to go and convince him to do it? Honestly, for a young genius like him sometimes he could be really _really _stupid.

"Fermat, listen to me. Blaze and I have to do this, because we're the only ones around who still might have a shot in disarming it, and in order to do that we need the fewer distractions and that includes focusing on keeping you safe." Alan put his hands on Fermat's shoulder, staring straight into his scared eyes with hope that he would finally see reason and the seriousness of the situation. "Please Fermat…leave now. I promise you that we'll be okay and that I will come back."

Despite the comforting words, Fermat still didn't look entirely convinced. It looks like Alan had to pull out the big guns in order to give him that last push he needs to finally be fully convinced to do what he asked. "If you wouldn't listen to these reasons then please do it in order to warn and protect my family."

"W-what do y-you mean?" Fermat asked, with his head tilted slightly to the left. He was clearly confused about that part about protecting his family, because as far as he knew the only family he knew about was Jem and Haley as well as his 'foster' siblings Blaze and Renée. Alan couldn't even imagine his friend's reaction when he learned the truth that his biological family was very much connected with him. Gathering up his courage, Alan took one final breath before he began the cliff-note version his complicated and messy family tree. "I really can't get into the circumstances behind everything, mostly because I don't remember or know everything and can just about tell you pits and pieces of it all. Anyways, to cut right into the case, I know that I'm the presumed-dead son of Jeff Tracy and youngest brother of Scott, John, Virgil and Gordon." Fermat's eyes widen, obviously finding the truth as shocking as he did in the beginning. "I know that sounds crazy, but believe me when I tell you that's the truth. Which is why due to them and the entire FBI, who has been chasing me for your kidnapping and please don't ask why they accused me because it's stupid and irrelevant right now, are on their way here to catch me and save you, and because of this they would ultimately be in danger since they don't know what they are walking into. So I'm asking you to go and warn them, keep them from getting hurt or killed if something happens."

Fermat was pretty much convinced to do what he said after that, both knowing and finally understanding his reasons for why he wanted him out of this place, and they gave their goodbyes by hugging each other and whispering hopeful words.

"P-Promise me, you'll c-come back." Fermat's grip around his neck tightened, and was apparently not going to let up until he made the promise. "Y-You will w-walk out t-that door s-safe and a-alive, okay?"

"I promise…" Alan felt the weight of the world by making that promise, due to his pessimistic nature he wasn't as confident that he could follow Fermat's promise entirely through, but he was willing to fight to make it even slightly possible. They pulled away, giving each other one last comforting look before Fermat turned and followed the directions to the exit. Once Fermat was out of sight and out of hearing distance Blaze finally spoke since he delivered the bad news. "You know that there is a chance neither of us are going to make it, right?"

"Yeah." No emotions were revealed when he said it, but they both knew that he was trying to shield himself and working on not breaking down when the odds were clearly against them. Blaze stared at him like he had outgrown a second head or something. "But there was no other way he was going to leave unless I made that promise and for now I'm going to do everything in my power to keep that promise."

Blaze scoffed at that comment and began walking in the direction of where the bomb was located, Alan following closely behind him. "Four years has passed, but you're still the same soft kid with great potential that no one have ever been able to tame. Except for that squirt that is…"

Alan didn't respond to the comment, but in the end he didn't have to because they both knew the truth. Despite his rebellious, stubborn and impulsive nature he was in fact a big softie who did everything for the sake of those he loved and cared about. However the one he was willing to sacrifice his life and future for was the first person besides his family who saw beyond the potentials and expectations, and simply accepted every part of him.

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As fate would have it, Alan seemed to have a special talent in disappearing and leaving no trace behind, which probably by now pretty much pissed off the Feds, who would most likely recruit him once they caught him just to make sure this situation doesn't repeat itself. However their hope to find Alan and Fermat wasn't lost yet, because as it turns out Lady Penelope and Parker have been tracking him secretly on the side and knew just exactly where he was.

So here they all were right outside a big warehouse location, making so much noise that the Australians could probably hear them, but apparently that was the FBI method in creating suspense and unnecessary actions. And the worse part is that Agent Monroe and Agent Harrods were the lead choirboys for this crazy and uncontrolled situation.

Jeff sighed heavily, while thinking how he wished that he was the one in charge of this rescue mission instead of the FBI, before he turned his gaze on his sons who was hanging in the back with the Cassidy siblings. They were all waiting for the action to start and finish, but due to the slow work rate they were surrounded with it that idea was put on hold. So that left them to keep an eye on the building and everyone who came and went and whether they were armed or not. He too turned moved his gaze away to look at the building, suddenly feeling the rush of worry and concern for both Fermat and Alan's safety and wellbeing, but desperately forced himself to not getting too worked up and maintain the faith that his family was going to come back safe and alive. He wasn't sure how long he was staring at the building until he heard the sound of a door open up and someone started running like their life depended on it. And while everyone was on the guard on whoever was coming their way, they all were completely shocked to see the familiar figure of Fermat running towards them.

"S-stop!" Fermat shouted, even though he appeared unharmed he acted like a mad man. "Y-you all h-have to s-stay back!"

"Fermat!" Everyone including Jeff shouted out with shock and joy, and was about to run over to the young teen, but Fermat shook his head and held his hands up in the air in a guarding manner. "S-stay back! W-we all n-need to k-keep a g-good distance f-from the building. T-There's a b-bomb inside!"

Hearing about the bomb certainly got everyone's attention and didn't waste time in moving far enough from the location in order to avoid the possible blast site. Fermat was quickly escorted to one of the more med-educated agents just to make sure he was all right, but was quickly concluded to be unharmed and was left to be reunited with Brains, who finally at ease since this whole situation happened.

Jeff and his sons as well as the Cassidy siblings welcomed Fermat back, which Fermat one by one gave one quick embrace to. Once the hugging session was over Fermat explained the fast version of the events, with everything that happened during his captivity and how things escalated to the part where Alan and Blaze are still inside working hard to dislodge the bomb. The agents listened carefully to the part about the bomb, even though there were some agents who were reluctant to believe that two teenagers could dislodge a bomb on their own, but what other option did they have?

"Mr. T-Tracy?" Fermat asked, interrupting his train of thoughts. Jeff turned to look down at him, confused to what else he had to say that apparently didn't involve the Feds since they had assembled and talking about a rescue plan just a good distance away from them. "Yeah, Fermat? What is it?"

Fermat made a deep breath before he jumped into it. "T-there is s-something y-you should k-know…Alan, he k-knows."

The confusion deepened, and his face frowned over the unusual indirectness the teen showed. "What exactly does he know? You mean, he knows _knows _about us? His biological family and the weird circumstances involved."

The teen nodded, his gaze was facing the ground. "H-he's r-remembering small p-pieces of his p-past and then the t-truth was r-revealed in a n-not so w-wonderful way by the Boss."

Jeff could feel his face fall in sadness and despair after hearing that his baby son not only remembered just bread pieces of him and his family, but also had to learn the entire truth from the devil who caused his life so much misery. It wasn't enough to ruin his family apart, but that piece of…you know, had to tell his son the horrible truth as well? Hadn't those people made him and his family suffered enough?

"I'm s-sorry, Mr. T-Tracy." Fermat apologized. "I t-tried to s-stay behind, but h-he wouldn't l-let me."

"That's okay, Fermat." Jeff swallowed hard, trying to appear calm while he reassured the young teen over his lack of argument against Alan. If there had been any doubt before that Alan was his son, then there was certainly no doubt about it anymore considering that this kid was just as stubborn like his brothers. "I know that you did everything you could, and I know that the reason why you're here is because Alan was thinking about you and everyone else's well being. So don't blame yourself, because I'm honestly glad that you aren't inside that building."

Although he didn't look neither convinced or reassured by his words, Fermat nodded his head dejected and then turned his focus on the building he had escaped from. It was clear that he was scared and anxious for Alan, but he put on a quite convincing brave face as he waited for his rescuer and best friend to return back to safety where he belonged.

Jeff smiled at this, but the smile quickly vanished when all of the sudden a huge explosion happened. Fire and smoke came loud and fast out the doors and windows, tearing them apart in one simultaneous motion, knocking everyone in proximity of the blast off their feet. Luckily he and most of the other people around was unharmed and were in a great distance between the blast and their current location, but that was the least of his concerns right then because his mind quickly jumped on the fact that the bomb went off and Alan had still been inside.

"ALAN!"

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**Thank you for the response I have been receiving, hope you guys like this chapter. **

**With school going on I can't promise when or how often I will be updating on this story, but I will continue it and write on it during the few moments I have time to spare and write. **

**I'm sorry that this chapter is shorter than usual, since I'm busy with pretty much everything, and also because I hurt my hand a little over a week ago making it even harder to write, but I felt obligated to at least update this story because we're soon reaching towards the end. Which I'm right now estimate is about two or three chapters left, but then again I'm not completely sure at this point so we will see.  
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** So anyways please, please, please continue reading and express what you think of my work because otherwise I might be dejected and more reluctant to continue and finish this story, which I really do want to finish. **

**With that said, please please please continue giving me reviews, favorite and/or followings, and the next chapter will be out as soon as its done. **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


	18. The Aftermath

**17\. The Aftermath **

As soon as his consciousness kicked in the first thing that struck him was that he felt lumpy. Which would probably indicate that he was in the hospital and hooked up on drugs due to his severe injuries. Lucky him.

Alan sighed on the inside as he relaxed and began to think back to the events that led him to his temporary stay in the hospital.

_(Flashback – Moments before the explosion)_

Blaze had been right about that there was little to nothing they could do about the bomb, even with him to assist the self-proclaimed bomb expert. Alan just stared at the ticking device that was just a minute away from blowing up and destroys anyone or anything that was in its path. "So what are we going to do? Run away and save ourselves or try everything we can and let ourselves get blown up in the process," Alan asked, plainly stating the obvious with a sarcastic tone. "Normally I wouldn't recommend getting ourselves barbequed, but sometimes life happens and what do you do."

Blaze shrugged his shoulders. "That's the thing isn't it?" He sighed heavily. "Look, I've been angry at you for so long because you left us, but I don't want to feel that way anymore."

Alan blinked confused. "Blaze…" He started to say, but got interrupted when the older teen pulled him into a hug. He froze up for a second before he relaxed and embraced him back.

"I'm sorry," Alan whispered. "I never meant to leave you guys behind or forget you. Life's just a witch."

Blaze only chuckled lightly and pulled back, but not fully letting go of him. "Yeah, I know. But I'm glad that you found a place that you feel safe and people that makes you happy. Which is why I'm telling you to go."

Hearing that response made time stand still or at least it did in Alan's mind anyways, because his first brother since he was taken away from the Tracys' was asking him to leave him behind and he was supposed to be okay with that and do as he says. Was he really that stupid that he thought that he would abandoned him once again after what happened the last time?

Whatever was going on in the older teen's head, he obviously knew what exactly he thought about the subject since he said softly afterwards, "I know what you're thinking, and no you can't talk me out of it, even with your super special charm of yours, because you need to keep your promise to that kid and get out of here alive. And I will do anything in my power so that you don't have to break that promise."

Alan shook his head. "No-no-no. You can't be serious! I won't leave you!"

"Look, kid, you have so many people who loves you and cares about you. You need to go back to them. You need to go back and take care of Renée, making sure she gets completely out of the game and give her the same fresh start that you had."

Tears were building up in the corner of his eyes, threatening to stream down his cheek like a waterfall. He continued to shake his head. "Please…don't ask me to do this. I don't want to lose you."

And for the first time he smiled since the conversation started and replied as raw and sincerely back, "And I don't want to lose you. So let me make up by being strong and protect you one last time."

He didn't want to do it, but no matter how many times he asked and begged him there was no way he would change his mind. And they didn't have more time to discuss this because otherwise they both would end up as barbequed steaks. So with a heavy heart he pulled away from the older teen. Blaze gave him one last reassuring smile, with eyes that were glowing with pride and love, and said, "Goodbye, Alan. My little brother."

Alan turned away after that and began running away from Blaze, the bomb and everything and headed towards the exit and safety. As his feet dragged him towards the warmth and safety that the outside world provided he ignored every part of his body and soul that was screaming at him to stop and don't leave behind his family. It was hard and heart breaking to do it, but he kept on convincing himself the several reasons why he shouldn't turn around and get killed along with Blaze. When he finally reached the exit the explosion happened and the impact from the explosion blew him off his feet and then everything went black.

* * *

Remembering the events that brought pain and heart break over someone he considered as an older brother, even though he had several brother figures before, but losing one of them was a horrible and suffocating pain that he wasn't sure he had the strength to bare now or any time soon. Nonetheless he had to opened his eyes and face reality, especially since he could practically feel the gazes on him and the annoying hovering over him. So he sighed heavily on the inside and slowly and carefully opened his eyes.

The first thing his eyes gazed upon was a boring white ceiling. Then his gaze turned downwards to see the hospital room and its current visitors. It shouldn't have surprised him, it really shouldn't have, but it surprised him anyway to see Jem, Haley, Fermat and the whole Tracy clan sleeping on every space that was available. Honestly, he didn't know what to think about the image he was seeing, but the image of a huge group managed to fit all together in one tiny hospital room was still hilarious to watch.

He moved slightly in the bed, suddenly feeling the numbness coursing through his body that literally made him groan, which ultimately were loud enough to awaken everyone in the room since Jem opened his eyes and said with the biggest relief that he has ever heard from his adoptive brother's mouth. "Alan? You're awake?"

Unable to form words in his mouth, Alan simply nodded his head and began feeling the tiredness that came along with the numbness from the drugs. Urgh, he absolutely hated hospitals and hospital drugs, he thought to himself annoyed before he turned his attention back on all of his visitors who hovered and began talking all around with him. His mind still lingered on Blaze and his death, but somehow talking and listening to his growing family eased the pain slightly. He was aware there was a lot of things that needed to be mended and talked about, but being around all of these people gave him a tiny hope that everything was going to be all right despite the tricks of terror life had thrown his way.

* * *

Things didn't magically fix itself and make all the worlds problems disappear despite his wishes, because reality wasn't as easy or wonderful as one wished it to be. Still he had to deal with the FBI, Blaze's death, the Golden Cobra's destruction and the whole mess with his family tree. The feds seemed to be focused on having him as well as Renée to act as consults for the FBI, especially since that was the only good option except for going to jail for his past crimes as a kid. It was unbelievable that they would do such a thing to a couple of kids who didn't know any better at the time and had no other means of escape the life. But then again this was the government we're talking about.

As for his family issues well…it was complicated, but in some ways fun to watch since the Cassidy's, mainly Jem, butted-heads with his biological father and Scott about his up bringing as well as custody issue.

Alan found easier to slip into the safe retreat called Fermat, silently talking and apologizing for how he had managed to get himself caught up in this screwed up past and now had the front-row seat to even more screwed up issues with his life. His best friend, bless his good soul, forgave and forgotten everything and only asked to be given the same in return, which he for one had no problems giving.

His other older brothers, including Virgil, turned out to be a blast to be around if you counted out the guilty looks on their faces. His father was the same as well, which made Alan feel even crabbier about himself than he already was, because none of what happened to him were their faults and he for one didn't blame them. Not when he heard how they had believed he had died and took his death really hard just as they did with mom.

Still he enjoyed himself in their company, even with the guilty looks and sometimes awkwardness they tended to exhibit around him. In honest opinion he had no idea where his life was heading at this point, and he didn't care either way because anything was better than living in a horrible life as master criminal, but he was going to keep the promises he gave both to his best friend and to his fallen brother. He was going to stay with the people who loved and cared for him and meet the world in whichever shape it came in. After all that's what Tracy men do, right?

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**That's it, I think. End of the story. Thank you for the response I have been receiving, hope you guys like this chapter. **

**I'm sorry that this chapter is short, but in the end I didn't have any good ideas how to end the story besides this. And then there was the fact that I'm currently busy with my exams, so I thought that I might as well end it before I ruined the whole thing completely. **

**With that said, please please please continue giving me reviews, favorite and/or followings. ****And I will once again thank you for the love and support I have received from all of you for this story. **

**xXrebelgirl07Xx**


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